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ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS 




Baboon Attacked by Leopard 

The baboon soon missed her little one and retraced her steps to try and find it. 
ihere was a rustle, and like a thunderbolt a lithe body launched itself from a branch of 
the very tree behmd which the hunters were hiding with the young baboon, and fixed 
Its teeth in the neck of the unfortunate monkey. 



ADVENTURES 



AMONG 



WILD BEASTS 



ROMANTIC INCIDENTS ^if PERILS 

OF TRAVEL, SPORT, AND EXPLORATION 

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD 



BY 

H. W. G. HYRST «;^-^'- 

author of 

'adventures in the great deserts," "adventures in the great 

forests," ^'c, &'c. 



2yi^C^-^^ ^' *</''' 



WITH TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS 



PHILADELPHIA 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 

LONDON : SEELEY 6= CO. LIMITED 
1909 



'^^"^"l 



fj.ff r^y 



■0^ 



PREFACE 

The lives of men who come in conflict with wild beasts, 
whether in pursuit of gain, or for the protection of Hfe or 
property, or from a passion for the chase, are full 
of danger and hardship, but also full of romantic adven- 
tures. Their encounters display the marvellous instinct 
of the animal not less than the courage and resource of 
the man. 

Most of the stories here given fall within the first sixty 
years of the last century, and for this there is a melancholy 
reason. In most countries of the world wild beasts have 
ceased to exist in any large numbers. When forest, 
desert, and prairie are replaced by town and railway, the 
former occupants are forced into restricted areas, and the 
struggle for life is increased tenfold. Wild animals would 
disappear before advancing civihzation, even if man did 
not interfere more actively and destructively. We look 
in vain nowadays for the bison, the Asiatic Hon, the sable, 
most kinds of the African rhinoceros, and many other crea- 
tures that were plentiful enough in our grandfathers' 
time. 
I Somewhat late in the day man is discovering his mis- 

V 



PREFACE 

take in having permitted such unreasonable slaughter. \ 
In the United States, Yellowstone Park, a corner of 
Wyoming as large as Yorkshire, has been devoted to the • 
preservation of American fauna. Our own laws wisely 
protect our fish and birds ; international law has estab- 
lished stringent regulations for sealers and whalers ; and , 
it is to be regretted that a similar arrangement for the pro- 
tection of the yak, the buffalo, various deer, and other wild - 
animals is scarcely practicable. 



VI 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 

AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

PAGES 

the bear essentially a carnivorous beast ? — The brown bear. — 
Adventure of a Russian farmer.— The bear as a sheep-stealer. — 
Shooting at the enemy from a trench. — Pursued and besieged 
by a bear. — The collared or Siberian bear. — Amusing anecdote 
by Thomas Witlam Atkinson. — I\Ir. Dobell's fight with a bear. — 
Siberian hunters. — The Polar bear. — His disposition. — And 
reasons therefor. — A plucky sailor boy. — A she-bear and her 
cubs pursued. — Her stratagem. — The most awful fate that can 
befaira Polar bear. ..... 17-27 

CHAPTER II 

I HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 

{The reindeer. — Origin of the name. — His home. — The domesticated 
I animal's great temptation. — Mr. Peter Dobell. — The reindeer's 
disposition. — A demand for five hundred carcasses. — Pursuit of 
a herd of six thousand. — The best time to hunt. — Cut off on all 
sides. — Return of the herd to the plateau. — The gad-flies. — 
A champion of the herd. — Rushing into the trap. — The slaughter. 
— Death of a hunter. — Taming the rest of the captives. — How 
to drive a reindeer. ..... 28-36 

CHAPTER III 

ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

The wolf's character. — A boatswain who fought a pack of wolves. — 
The pursuit. — The boatswain at bay. — Meeting the enemy 
I with rifle-butt. — Rescued. — Man-eating wolves. — Eskimo method 
; of trapping them. — Some frightened captives. — The wolf's in- 
genuity. — Wolf-taming. — A wolf that refused to " quit." — 
" Jack's " method of domesticating himself. — His tragic death. — 
Hunting the wolf for food. — Eating him. - - - 37-46 

CHAPTER IV 

HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU, AND THE WAPITI 

llThe elk or moose. — His disposition. — " Calling." — Another of Mr. 
Ruxton's adventures. — " Creeping." — A moose family. — An un- 
expected turn of the tables. — Some well-disciplined trappers.— 



CONTENTS 

PAG 

The bull-moose missing. — An explanation. — Moose-stalking in 
winter. — A powerful swimmer. — The caribou. — Lieutenant 
Hardy's caribou-chase. — A strange method of progress. — Nearly 
drowned.— The wapiti. — John Keast I-ord. — The Indian's rein- 
deer.— Lassoing the animal. — The mj'stery of two strips of 
ermine. ...... 47-60 

CHAPTER V 

A WALRUS HXJNT 

A seal with tusks. — The use of the tusks. — Hunting the walrus. — The 
sentries. — Enter a Polar bear. — Fight between bear and 
walruses. — Exit the bear. — The first walrus shot. — A strange 
method of landing. — A cordon of walruses to fight. — Appearance 
of a second cordon. — A prudent retreat. — Difficulty of obtaining v 

tusks. — A narrow escape for the whole party. - - 61-70 

CHAPTER VI , 

ADVENTURES AMONG THE SMALLER WILD BEASTS OF THE 

NORTH 

Fox, Ijmx, sable, wolverine, and racoon. — The Arctic fox. — Partridge- 
shooting imder difficulties. — A clever mimic. — 'The change of 
coat. — The white fox as a burglar. — A fox-hunter's narrow escape. 
— Mr. Lord's account of the Canadian lynx. — L3mx-coursing. — 
An unpleasant situation. — Killing the l3mx. — Mr. Lord as a sable- 
trapper. — Character of the weasel family. — How to trap a 
sable. — The trapper's worst foe : the wolverine. — A gluttonous ' 

and knavish beast. — Caught in the act. — Another peculiarity of 
the wolverine. — The 'coon. — His virtues and vicas. — M. Audu- 
bon's accoimt of a 'coon-himt. - - - 71-83 

CHAPTER VII 

SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

A link between sheep and cattle. — The home of the musk-ox, — 
Proportion of males to females. — Behaviour towards man. — 
Adventure of Lieutenant Cresswell, R.N. — Oxen that climb like 
goats. — Stalking the game. — A slippery hill-path. — Death of the 
first bull. — Pursued by the second buU. — A rooky descent. — 
Hemmed in. — A narrow escape. — Sir James Ross as a hunter. — 
Tracking the ox. — The ox baited by dogs and arrows. — Taking 
shelter behind a rock. — Cool pluck of Commander Ross. — Poo- 
yet-tah's novel method of slaying a musk-ox. - - 83-92 

CHAPTER VIII 

LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

The cat tribe. — The lion. — His character. — The stock-breeder's 
enemy. — The lion of North Africa. — Adventures of the Richard- 
son expedition. — A lion-trap that did not work. — Another that 

viii 



CONTENTS 

paoes 
did. — The Asiatic and Nubian lion. — Dr. Werne's Nile expedition. 
— Pursuing a lion on mule-back. — Gallantry of a young sheikh. — 
Another lion-trap. — Terrible experience of an Arab servant. — 
Pursuing the culprit. — Off the track. — Werne cornered by a lion. — 
A bad shot. — The doctor's life saved by his servant. — Mr. Steed- 
man's adventures in the South African wilds. — A leonine epicure. 
— A herd of springbok ";held up " by a lion. — Sudden attack by 
I a lioness. — Aii imloaded gun. — Pinned down by a lioness. — 
! Scaring off the enemy. .... - 93-106 

CHAPTER IX 

i ADVENTXJRES AMONG THE GREAT MONKEYS OF THE SOUTH 
j AND SOUTH-EAST 

Baboons and anthropoid apes. — What we know of the gorilla. — 
! Mr. Methuen's adventure. — A troop of baboons. — A runaway. — 
f The mother stopped by a leopard. — Capturing the little one. — 
j The troop in fuU cry after the leopard. — Strange native baboon- 
li trap. — The chimpanzee. — The orang-utan. — Mr. Earl and M. 
'I Benant in Sumatra. — Chasing an orang-utan family. — Hin- 
drances. — Stealing a baby orang, — Pursued by the mother and 
father. — A horrible death in view. — Saved. — Conflict between 
the orang and a crocodile. .... 107-116 

CHAPTER X 

HUNTING THICK-SKINNED WILD BEASTS 

IThe elephant, the rhinoceros, and the hippopotamus. — " The ele- 
phant's a gentleman." — Pursued by a she-elephant. — Up a tree. — 
Nearly shot. — Choosing the less of two evils. — Killing the calf. — 
A hundred bullets to one elephant. — A Kafir hunt. — Standing 
on dangerous ground. — The first elephant killed by the chief. — 
" Do not kill us, great captain." — A blind elephant. — Drawbacks 
to the pursuit of science. — The rhinoceros of Africa. — An un- 
reasonable beast. — A terrible weapon of defence. — James 
Bruce's description of an Abyssinian hunt. — Ham-stringing the 
game. — The hippopotamus. — Dr. Baikie's expedition. — Traps 
and poisoned arrows. — Taking the latitude under difficulties. — 
A horrible predicament. ..... 117-135 

CHAPTER XI 

j LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING •: 

JMisleading terminology. — Leopard or panther ? — The animal's 
1 qualities. — Attitude towards man. — M. Bombonnel's terrible 
I experience. — Waiting on a dark night for a leopard. — A hand- 
to-hand struggle. — JBombonnel's predicament when foimd. — 
The West African leopard or panther. — Mr. John Duncan's ex- 
periences of panther-trapping.— A " leopard's larder." — Traps. — 
Panther-baiting with dogs. — Himting the Indian leopard. — 
I Mr. G. T. Vigne. — Terror of the elephants. — A bold English 
I huntress. — The leopard " treed." — NoUesae oblige. — The cheetah, 
' or hunting-leopard. - . . . . 136-149 

is. 

i\ 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XII 

ADVENTURES AMONG JACICALS AND HYENAS 

The jackal or tschakkal. — A virtue which he shares with the hyaena. — 
The lion, the jackal's provider. — A night in the Sahara. — 
Strange sight seen by Richardson. — Begging jackals. — Wlien the 
j^ackal is dangerous. — Mr. Elliott's adventure with a solitary 
fackal. — The hysena. — A disgusting beast. — Some other sights 
seen by Richardson. — John Duncan of Whydah. — The pakatoo. — 
The animal's immense strength. — Between fever, mosquitoes, 
starvation, and being eaten alive. — Duncan's terrible experience 
with the wolf-hyajna. — Cut off from his weapons. — Holding out 
till aid comes. — Saved by his servant's arrival. - - 150-1 6f 

CHAPTER XIII 

AMONG THE AUSTRALIAN WILD BEASTS 

Peculiarity of Australian fauna. — The duck-bill and the porcupine 
ant-eater. — The marsupials. — Lieutenant-Colonel Mundy. — A 
kangaroo-hunt on horseback. — The size of a giant kangaroo. — 
His method of flight from the dogs. — Brought to bay. — The kill. — 
The kangaroo as a food-animal and as a nuisance. — A battue. — 
Native methods of hunting. — Giving the dog a bath. - 161-168 

CHAPTER XIV 

HUNTING SEAI^ AND SEA-LIONS OF THE SOUTH 

Southern seals. — The wreck of the Grafton. — Thrown ashore on the 
Auckland Islands. — The strange roaring in the woods. — A 
strange visitor. — Tough and tender meat. — Seal-himting by 
boat. — A disappointment. — Fight between seal and sea-lion.— 
Narrow escape of Captain Musgrave. — How to kill a seal. — 
Condemned to perpetual seal-meat. — Climbing a tree to escape 
a bull-seal. — An important discovery. — Unwise prodigality. — A 
terrible retribution. — Besieged by infuriated " bulls." — Boat- 
building under difficulties. — " Tom." — Escape after twenty 
months of captivity. ... . 1G9-179 

CHAPTER XV 

AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

An animal difficult of classification. — Instinct vermis reasoning power. 
— The monkeys of the Malay Archipelago. — Dr. Adams's adven- 
ture. — Among the siamangs. — Sun-worshipping monkeys. — A 
mischievous midshipman. — A pathetic instance of motherly love. 
— Monkeys that cannot run.— Some more sun-worshippers. — The 
proboscis monkey . — Conchologists. — Naval officers held up by 
monkeys. — The ship's gun to the rescue. — The loris, or Asiatic 
lemur. — Strange sight seen by Dr. Mouat. — A Siamese gibbon 
and a poisonous snake. — Wliere the monkeys have it all theiv 



CONTENTS 

PAGES 

own way. — India's sacred qiiadrumana. — Two ludicrous anecdotes. 
— Rev. C. Acland's alarming cxperienco in Bengal. — How to 
frighten an Indian wild beast. ... - 180-193 

CHAPTER XVI 

HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

I 

jhe elephant of Ceylon. — Prince Waldemar's tour. — An initial disap- 
pointment. — A " rogue." — A strange superstition. — Frightened 

I horses. — The cause.— Trying to outrim the elephants. ^Deser- 
tion of the Sinhalese servants. — A sea of elephants. — A horrible 
situation. — Major Rogers to the rescue. — An extraordinary feat. — 
The elephants in Further India and Siam.— Ijeutenant White, 
U.S.N.— A strange method of hunting. — Noise. — A treacherous 
snare. — " Boxing " the captive elephants. - 194-204 

CHAPTER XVII 

TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

he hyrax, the tapir, and the rhinoceros. — Mr. Elliott's attempt to 

' catch a hyrax. — A plucky little beast. — The tapir a prehistoric 

i animal. — The Asiatic variety. — M. Benant's adventtu-e. — Trying 

to catch a baby tapir. — Reckoning without the mother. — Flight. 

— Tapir versus Malay. — A timely shot. — The Asiatic rhinoceros. — 

A cowardly variety. — Roasting the Sumatran rhinoceros. — 

' Another adventure of John White's. — The danger of possessing a 

lame horse. — An angry rhinoceros. — Pursued and overtaken. — A 

narrow escape. — Death of the horse. — And of the rhinoceros. 205-215 

CHAPTER XVIII 

ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

he home of the tiger. — Hindrances to his extermination. — A popular 
error concerning him. — His boldness. — Major McCarthy and the 
Rev. C. Acland. — A tiger in the grass. — " Stole away." — An 
awful moment. — Seized and carried off by the tiger. — Shooting 
in vain. — How the Major saved himself. — A not unpleasant 
method of locomotion. — The Chinaman's notion of hunting. — A 
tigress caught in a net. — Dog-diet for the captive. — Strange 
affection between a tigress and a puppy. — The tigress taken 
aboard ship. — Outram as a tiger -hunter. — An extraordinary snare. 
— Some canny Hindus. — Hunting the beast in the hills. — Stalk- 
ing. — The tiger "earthed." — The hunters "treed." — Outram's 
magnificent courage. ... . - 216-228 

CHAPTER XIX 

HUNTING WILD BEASTS OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS 

)i2erent homes chosen by wild beasts. — The ibex, the argali, and 
the kiang. — Pursuing an ibex. — Worse than chamois-hunting. — 
A terrible abyss. — A perilous climb. — The retreat of the ibejc. — 

xi 



CONTENTS 

I* AC] 

Method of the animal's flight.— A twenty-five foot leap.— The 
argali or mountain-sheep.— A ram as big as a bull. — An extra- 
ordinary fight. — Subsequent conduct of the victor. — An awliward 
position for fliglit.— The wild ass or kiang.— Sir James Abbott.— 
Friendly Turcomans. — A kiang-hunt. — Badly mounted. — 
Abbott's disappointment.— Trying to catch the ass. — A kiang 
that showed fight. - - . . . ^9.25* 

CHAPTER XX 

ADVENTURES AMONG YAKS AND BUFFALOES 

The yak. — An animal easily acclimatized. — ^The yak's method of 
attack.— Another adventure of Mr. Vigne's.— A hunt that occu- 
pies some days.— A perilous momitain-climb.— The first yak 
shot.— Sudden appearance of a herd. — An awful predicament. — ^ 
Climbing out of danger.— And falling back into it.— An un- 
expected awakening.— The explanation.— On again after the herd. 
—Difficulty of being entertained by an Oriental.— A dreary ' 
prospect.— Snow.— The final disappointment.— The Eastern 
buffalo.— His one good quality.— Stalking a buffalo.— An un- i 
looked-for appearance.- Tiger and buffaloes.— The result of the -j. 
conflict. ...... 239-24, 



CHAPTER XXI 

WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

Prevalence of boars in the East.— The boars of Andaman.— Dr. 
Mouat's siu-voy.— Forced into a boar-himt. — The lieutenant's 
foolhardy shot.— Charged by the herd.- The attack on the two 
doctors.— Catching a baby boar.— The evil consequences thereof. 
—Comedy verging on tragedy.— Saved by the guimer'a mate.— 
The H.M.S. Sariiarang expedition to the East Indiaji Archipelago, 
— A native wild-boar hunt.— A brave Dyak. — Chasmg a fugitive 
boar.— The boar tied up on the main deck of a battleship. — His 
behaviour. — His plucky escape. - . . . 250-260 

I 



CHAPTER XXII 

ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY AND THE AMERICAN 

BLACK BEAR j 

[ 
Grizzly or grisly ?— The terror of the North- West.— A zoologist's 
adventiu-es among the trappers. — A hungry grisly.— Tracking 
" Bphi-aim."- Pursued.— The sheltering bluff.— Caught by the 
boar.— Given up for dead. — The dead man comes to life again. — 
Chewed by a grisly.—" Colonel " Fremont.- The musquaw or 
black bear. — An almost extinct animal. — Reduced to bear's- 
meat. — Fight between two musquaws. — " Treed." — Nearly ] 

buried alive.- A resolute trapper.— Attitude of the Indian tt 

towards the dead musquaws. .... 261 -273 f 

xii 



i CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXIII 

i AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS AND AMERICAN WILD 
I CATTLE 

I PAGES 

I? llama as a beast of burden. — Mr. George Matbiajon. — A guauaco- 
hunt. — Method of driving the game. — A wild beast that cannot 
show fight. — The guanaco's unpleasant equivalent to fighting. — 
" Wild " cattle and horses. — Mr. Thomas Yoimg. — Stopped by 
a herd of wild cattle. — The chase. — Attempted escape by water. 

: — A ducking. — Between crocodiles, drowning, and savage bulls. 

I — A faithful horse. — Projected revenge.' — Lassoing the wild 
cattle. — Horse-breaking among the Indians. — Behaviour of the 

I horses in the water. — Brutality towards horses in South America. 

' — Darwin as a traveller. — Gauchos and wild horses. — A novel 
method of breaking. — Extraordinary feat of horsemanship by 
Gaucho domidort. - - ... 274-286 

CHAPTER XXIV 

THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD 

put American monkeys. — Lieutenant Hemdon, U.S.N. — Howling 
monkeys. — Up the Amazon. — A disturbed supper. — The howling 
increased. — A rash resolution. — Firing on the howlers. — Saluting 
the rising sun. — Stewed monkey.— Lieutenant Gibbon, U.S.N. — 
The Bnpajous and the sakis. — Sleeping in treed hammocks. — The 
robbery of the honey. — The robbers robbed. — The " festive " 
parrot. — Fight between parrot and monkey. — Another spider- 
monkey to the rescue. — The cause of the squabble. - 287-296 

I CHAPTER XXV 

ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS OF THE PRAIRIES 
AND BACKWOODS 

lome of adventure. — John Fremont. — The bison, and its disappear- 
ance. — How to rid a country of its wild animals. — Stopped by a 
herd of bisons. — An awful chase in the forest. — Trying to check 

' the pursuit. — Where is the path ? — The path already occupied. — 
Between two forces of bisons. — Indians to the rescue. — The cause 
of the trouble. — An unsportsmanlike method. — Trading for 
bison meat. — A useful beast. — The beaver. — Trapping him. — A 
mystery. — "Where's the bait?" — Bark-stone. — A beaver that 
punishes trappers. — Castoreum. — The cawquaw, or American 
porcupine. — A bad time for the dog. — A remarkable beast. — 

' The opossum. — Mr. P. H. Gosse. — A beast that " shams dead." — 

I The 'possum-hunt. — The victorious negro. - - 297-309 

CHAPTER XXVI 

HUNTING THE WESTERN LION AND TIGER 

3 puma and the jaguar. — The puma as a dangerous beast. — An 

unpleasant awakening. — Following the trail of an old puma. — ■ 

i The " painter " in the tree. — A bold trapper. — An accident. — 

xiii 



CONTENTS 

PAGES.) 

The puma Jumps down. — A fight with a " painter " on the ground. 
— An awful minute. — Gaining groimd. — Losing it again. — 
Rescued by the trapper. — Carrying the mauled man back to camp. 
— Lieutenant Brand, R.N. — Puma-hunting with dogs. — Using 
the bolas on the beast. — A pet. — Lassoing the puma on the 
pampas. — " Taming " him. — Lassoing the jaguar. — Lying in 
wait for him at night. — Danger of a muzzle-loader. — A narrow 
escape. — Saved by the Gaucho's bolas. — How Lieutenant Gibbon 
shot a jaguar. — The turtle-eater. — Reasons for abandoning the 
hammock. — A horrible situation. — The Indian to the rescue. — 
A good shot. ...... 310-323 

CHAPTER XXVII 

ADVENTURES WITH PECCARIES AND THE TAPIRS 

The peccary. — One of the fiercest beasts in America. — Some objec- 
tionable visitors at a rancho. — Besieged. — Picking the enemy 
off. — A heavy imdertaking. — Trying to knock down the fence. — 
Another leader shot. — An entry to the yard effected. — Reckoning 
without the veranda. — A slight reinforcement. — The peccaries ' 

turning the tables on the shooters. — Up a tree. — A dog killed. — 
The peccaries driven off.— Fight between jaguar and peccaries. — 
A terrible thrashing for the jaguar. — His escape. — The American 
tapir. — Mr. Mathison's attempt to lasso one. — Dragged along by 
the tapir. — A horrible death in view. — The horse down. — Just 
in time. — The proper way to lasso a tapir. - - 324-33G 

CHAPTER XXVIII 

WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS OP THE WEST 

True and spurious wild dogs. — Newfoundland and Eskimo dogs. — 
The Indian dog. — Killing a coyote. — A pack of Indian dogs on 
the scent. — As bad as a pack of wolves. — Surrounded. — Putting 
them to the right-about. — Flight. — An unpleasant awakening. — 
More dogs. — Between dogs and Indians. — Advantage of knowing 
Indian dialects. — A wonderful sheep-dog. — Wolf-dogs and fox- 
dogs. — A scientific fox. — How Darwin dealt with .him — The 
American wild cat. — The yagouarondi. — Mr. Yoimg's adventure. 
— The wild cat's mysterious behaviour. — Convulsions. — And 
their cause. — An extraordinary escape. — The ocelot. — Chased 
by an ocelot while bathing. — A gloomy prospect. — Saved by a 
half- wild dog. — A plucky beast. . - - . 334-34t 



XIV 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



;iBOON ATTACKED BY LEOPARD - 
InARROW ESCAPE - 

i: 

fE reindeer's method of DEFENCE 
PLUCKY BOATSWAIN 
: CORNERED MOOSE 
'IBEAR AND WALRUS FIGHT 
E MUSK-OX . . . . 

PLUCKY SHEIKH - - - . 

' NTING THE RHINOCEROS 
POOL HUNTRESS - - - . 

liNCAN AND THE PAKATOO 
ioUGHT TO BAY - - - - 

'■ THE NICK OF TIME 

INFURIATED MOTHER - 
( EXCITING EXPERIENCE - 
^IGHT BETWEEN ARGALIS 

MATCH FOR THE TIGER - 

I (Ootiiinued on next page) 

XV 



frontispiece 


To face 


^age 22 x 


>) 


34 


M 


40 


>> 


52. 


l> 


64. 


>J 


90. 


)) 


98 




130 . 




146^ 




158- 




166^ 




200- 




210- 




220 




234 




248/ 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

To face page 254l 

2J 

3( 

3S 

3^ 

3^ 



ATTACKED BY BOARS 

CHASED BY A GRISLY 

ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE - 

CHASED BY BISON - 

A HUNGRY JAGUAR 

JAGUAR ATTACKED BY PECCARIES 

ATTACKED BY WILD DOGS - 



XVI 



\ 
\ 

i 

ADVENTURES 
. AMOI^G WILD BEASTS 

CHAPTER I 

AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

JE the bear essentially a carnivorous beast ? — The brown bear. — Adven- 
ture of a Russian farmer. — The bear as a sheep-stealer. — Shooting 
at the enemy from a trench. — Pursued and besieged by a boar. — 
The "collared" or Siberian boar. — Amusing anecdote by Thomas 
Witlam Atkinson. — Mr. Dobell's fight with a bear. — Siberian 
hunters. — The Polar bear. — His disposition. — Reasons therefor. 
— A plucky sailor-boy. — A she-bear and her cubs pursued. — 
Her stratagem. — The most awful fate that can befall a Polar bear. 

II^OTwiTHSTANDiNG the fact that the bear may be found at 
nil four points of the compass, it is with the North that 
ive have learned most to associate him ; and in this chap- 
er we shall discuss only the varieties that are found in 
!S[orthern Europe and Asia, and in the Polar Regions ; 
•Jiat is to say, the brown bear, with his close relative the 
' collared " or Siberian bear, and the huge nennook, as 
jhe Eskimos call him — the white or Polar bear. 

From the formation of their teeth, it is evident that 
3ears require, like ourselves, a mixed diet ; and seeing 
|;hat most of them can well sustain life on other than flesh 
[ood, it is not strictly correct to classify them as car- 
l^- 17 B 



AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

nivorous animals. This is an important point, because 
on it hinges the much-disputed question of the natural 
ferocity of bears ; and in the present volume we are dealing , 
with wild beasts in their relation to man. We have only? 
to contrast the tiger with the elephant, or the wolf with 
the bison, to see that an animal which depends on living 
prey is fiercer, and in a general way more dangerous tq 
man, than one that does not. Similarly, so long as thej 
circumstances of climate and surroundings permit of thCj. 
bear's being more or less independent of animal food, hei 
is no more dangerous than the wild elephant or bison,;, 
and wherever he has been known to attack man, we may] 
be quite sure that the man, and not the bear, began it. ? 

The Polar bear's disposition, as we shall presently see,; 
is more aggressive, because Nature generally denies himj 
the vegetable food which he may be supposed to crave,^ 
and so causes him to choose between hunting and starving., 
But the brown bear, terrible as he can be as an assailant,,] 
asks nothing better than to be allowed to feed on the J 
sweet berries or roots which the Scandinavian or otheri 
forests afford him, and to be left alone. 

A fact perhaps not generally known about the brown 
bear is that it is possible for him to acquire a taste for; 
blood and flesh ; and that if he have once habituated^ 
himself to that form of diet, nothing short of a bullet will| 
wean him from it. A Russian farmer, who found his live-i 
stock mysteriously diminishing in spite of the wolf-traps^ 
with which the premises were surrounded, set himself toj 
watch his sheepfold one night. After he had waited for 51 
about an hour, he heard a dehberate measured tread 
coming across the yard, and, to his horror, beheld a full-. 
grown bear that must have weighed anything from aj 

18 



j AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

quarter to haK a ton. Knowing the cowardice of the 
li wolf, he had not troubled to make himseK secure from 
i| attack, but was merely lurking in the shadow of a high 
i! wooden fence. Therefore to fire, armed as he was with 
\ only an old-fashioned muzzle-loading gun, would have 
! been madness ; and as the bear evidently had not per- 
jceived him, he decided to remain still, and sacrifice the 
! life of a sheep in preference to his own. The marauder 
j| reached the row of hurdles that folded the sheep, and, 
standing on his hind-legs, coolly lifted one of the animals 
I up in his paws and marched off with it. 

Following as quietly as he could, and as closely as he 
! dared, the farmer passed out of his yard and on to a narrow 
patch of grass-land. Arrived here, the bear seemed 
unable to defer any longer his desire for a meal, and, 
stopping, he began — so far as the farmer could distinguish 
in the moonlight — to tear at the skin on the back of his 
victim's head and neck till the place was raw, and then 
to suck at the wound as a small boy sucks an orange. 

Determined that the brute should not escape him, the 
ready-witted Russian dropped into a deep, narrow trench 
that had been dug for drainage purposes, and, taking ad- 
vantage of the bear's back being turned to him, fired 
then reloaded as swiftly as his antiquated weapon would 
allow him. There was a most appalling yell, followed 
by a series of growls, and the bear dropped the sheep as 
though under the impression that it had exploded ; then, 
maddened with pain, began to vent his fury on the lifeless 
body by tearing it almost to pieces with his claws. 

The first shot had been fired from a distance of thirty 
yards, and the farmer could see that by creeping along 
his trench he could get nearly ten yards nearer. He did 

19 B 2 



AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

so, and, firing again, must have wounded the beast badly i 
somewhere in the back, for he turned sliarply towards the 
trench and half reared, then fell forward again growling, 
and began to limp slowly, and doubtless with great pain, ^j 
towards where the farmer was crouching. The Russian . 
once more reloaded his gun. Seeing little to fear in an 
animal thus crippled, he waited for him to come within a j 
distance of about twelve feet, and«fired again. The bear : 
dropped, and the man sprang out of the trench, then 
turned and fled towards the house ; for the brute, at last \ 
catching sight of his tormentor, seemed to gather new 
strength by virtue of his very rage, and, staggering to his j 
feet again, was making straight at him. The Russian did 
not stop running till he reached his house, and, on turning ■ 
to look, he saw that the beast was still plodding patiently 
on in pursuit. 

Following the scent like a foxhound, the bear tracked j 
the fugitive round the house, and, finding himself barred 
out, threw his weight against the wooden wall, so that the 
whole house shook. Had he fallen against the door itself, 
the farmer and his family Avould have been almost at his 
mercy, for no bolts or hinges could have withstood such 
a shock ; and the whole house was but one large room. ,, 
All night the terrified inmates sat quaking at the re- 
verberating growls outside ; but when daylight came all 
was still again ; the bear had died on the very threshold 
from loss of blood. 

The collared bear of North Asia, so called from a sort 
of ring of white hair round its neck, has a character for , 
great ferocity ; but, on the other hand, naturalists have [ 
scores of anecdotes which bear witness to strong strains 
of both gentleness and cowardice in the animal. Thomas 

20 



i AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

\Vitlam Atkinson, the great artist-explorer, vouches for 
'the truth of the following laughable incident : In a Siberian 
[v^illage through which he was travelling, he came across an 
old woman who passed for a heroine on account of an 
interview which she had recently had with one of these 
animals. Her donkey had strayed away, so, arming 
Ijherself with a stout broom-handle, she went forth in search 
of him. She sought all the afternoon in vain, and was 
Returning home tired and cross at dusk, when a brown 
object close at hand moved its head slightly. In her 
exasperation, the poor old soul made a dash at what she 
^supposed was the donkey, and proceeded to " lay on " 
Tight lustily with her broomstick, calling the beast every- 
ithing that a recreant and refractory ass could in reason 
*be called. But before the fifth stroke had fallen, the 
" donkey " had increased to about four times his natural 
'proportions, and seemed to threaten to get bigger still ; 
and the startled old dame found herself face to face with 
a collared bear. The animal had been lying half hidden 
I'by a bush, and in that position might easily be mistaken 
'in the dusk, by a person whose sight was defective, for the 
truant donkey. Paralyzed with fright, the old lady 
stood agape, while the bear, probably little less alarmed 
than she, turned and shuffled away across the steppe. 

But Mr. Peter Dobell did not find that these Siberian 
bears are so easily put to flight. While he was out one 
day with a party of native hunters, loud screams of terror 
attracted his attention to a miserable hut a short distance 
'.away ; and hastening towards it, he found a bear busily 
engaged in trying to force open the door, which was 
being feebly held against him by a man, his wife, and two 
children. Only the previous night the same, or a similar, 

21 



AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

animal had made off with a horse from the neighbourhood, 
and it looked remarkably as if the fierce intruder had 
the same intentions toAvards some member of this family. 

Shouting to his native companions to back him up with 
their spears, Mr. Dobell fired his first barrel at the brute, 
and wounded him in the back. In an instant the bear 
Avheeled, and, seeing whence the bullet had proceeded, 
rushed open-mouthed at the shooter. The natives, if 
they did not actually flee, kept their distance, and Dobell, 
well aware that flight would be worse than useless, saw 
himself fated to meet the danger unaided. Walking 
backwards as swiftly as his snow-shoes would allow him, 
he kept his gun at his shoulder, hoping, if not to send a 
ball through the animal's eye, at least to disable him by 
a wound in the shoulder. 

But at the best of times, and unhampered by snow- 
shoes, walking backwards is not a method of locomotion 
to be recommended for its safety ; and just now it almost 
proved fatal, for as Dobell was about to pause, with a view 
to making his aim more sure, one shoe caught in the other, 
and he fell backwards on the frozen snow. 

Like lightning he raised himself to a sitting posture, 
and, devoutly thanking his stars that the gun, which was 
at full cock, had not gone off, was about to take aim once 
more, when a dark line whizzed through the air just 
above his head, and a heavy, iron-headed spear, thrown 
by one of the natives, caught the bear fairly in the 
shoulder, penetrating a good three inches. The animal 
stopped within six feet of where Dobell lay, and, jerking 
his head round, made an angry snap in the direction of 
the spear-shaft. At the same moment the Englishman 
fired, striking the bear in the throat. Belching up blood, 

22 




A Narrow Escape 

Dobell was walking backwards with a view of taking a sure aim, when one snow- 
shoe caught in the other, and he fell backwards. Like lightning be raised himself to a 
sitting position and was about to lake aim, when a heavj- iron-headed spear whizzed 
through the air and caught the bear fairly in the shoulder. 



AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

land sinking his roar to a pathetic moan, the beast rolled 
over, and was dead by the time Dobell had staggered to his 
'feet again. 

" Look sharp and skin him," he cried to his men. " I 
Imust have something to remember him by." 

In a moment two of the natives were stooping over the 
carcass, each occupied in the pleasing operation of digging 
his knife into the eyes of the dead beast. 

" What's that for, in the name of all that's disgusting ?" 
demanded the explorer. 

" Often the bear comes to life again ; therefore we stab 
him in the eyes, so that, were he to do so, he could not see 
any of us," was the sage explanation. And, not content 
with these precautions, the sagacious natives refused to 
proceed with the skinning till they had disembowelled 
the body, by way of making themselves doubly secure. 
Revolting as such proceedings sound to us, they at least 
prove one thing : that uncivilized man has been taught by 
unpleasant experience, in his dealings v/ith wild beasts, 
to be on his guard against that too easy assurance that 
has cost many a civilized hunter his life. 

Condemned as he is to live upon whatever food he can 
seize by violence or cunning, and often to go for a couple 
of days without breaking his fast, it is no wonder that 
the Polar bear is an exception to the general rule given at 
the beginning of this chapter. The animals on which he 
seeks to prey are, more often than not, fitted by Nature 
to escape him by means of their greater swiftness, as in 
the case of fish, seals, reindeer, and even musk-oxen ; or 
else, like the walrus, to do battle with him, and often to 
put him to flight. Not that he is by any means inactive ; 
that, surely, is the last epithet to apply to a beast that 

23 



AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

can catch sea-birds as a cat catches sparrows ; that can 
dive, swim, and fish Hke any cormorant ; and that can 
get over the ground or the ice at a rate that would dis- 
hearten a professional runner or skater. But when we 
hear that he has been known to pursue and attack a 
human being whose sole offence has been to come within 
smelhng distance, or to kill and eat a fellow-bear, or to 
try and force an entry through a ship's porthole, we may 
be sure that at times he is very hard driven for food. 

In such a case we must make allowances for him ; 
maddened by starvation, even a good-sized dog would be 
a formidable companion in a lonely spot. And many 
instances furnished by travellers, whose testimony we 
may not doubt, go to show that, when the Polar bear's 
stomach is decently full, he will run away from man as 
quickly as his brown or black brother, and a great deal 
more quickly than the grizzly bear. The very well-known 
episode in the life of Nelson, as related by Southey, is 
almost a case in point. 

When only a lad, the great sailor accompanied an 
expedition to the North Pole that was jfitted out by the 
Royal Society. One night, while his ship was lying off the 
Greenland coast, he amused himself by going in search of 
a bear that was said to be in the vicinity. With only one 
companion, he set off in the fog across the ice ; and, 
greatly to the astonishment and horror of those on board, 
was seen, when the fog lifted at early morning, trying to 
hammer in the skull of one of these terrors of the North 
with the butt-end of a mukset. 

The youthful hunters had come to the end of their 
ammunition, and now, only separated from the bear by 
a narrow cleft in the ice. Nelson was about to try con- 

24 



AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

usions with him at close quarters, when the sound of the 
iiip's gun ordered him to come aboard. At the report 
lie bear started back as if he had been shot, and, turning 
Kvay, was soon out of sight. 

! As an instance of the marvellous sagacity of the 
Himal, as well as in further support of his alleged readi- 
iess to flee from man or his works, we may quote a case 
;lated by Scoresby in his "Account of the Arctic 
legions." 

|i Some sailors had caught sight of a she-bear with her 
l;v'o young ones, and, forgetting that " a bear that is 
lereaved of her whelps " is about the last animal that a 
«nsible man should try to measure his strength and 
^sources against, they determined to possess themselves 
C one of the Httle ones. While still beyond gun-range, 
ue mother caught sight of the men, and, obejang what 
''as evidently her first instinct, she started to flee, turning 
very now and again to encourage the cubs to keep up 
ith her. This they soon showed themselves unable to 
o, and there was every likelihood that their pursuers 
ould overtake them before long. 

Not to be daunted by obstacles, the intelligent beast 
:ied to set her babies an example by running swiftly for 
httle way, and then pausing for them to come up with 
iier, at the same time giving vent to peculiar Httle cries 
s though to warn them of their danger. At last, seeing 
hat they could not possibly keep her pace, she seized first 
ne, then the other, and hurled them ahead of her. When 
he had repeated this clever manoeuvre twice or thrice, 
he little ones evidently began to realize what her motive 
,^as, and accordingly did all in their power to further her 
fforts. As each one was thrown forward, it continued 

25 



AMONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

running until she overtook it, and was ready to give it m 
fresh impetus ; and this wonderful plan was persevered 
in till the sailors were obliged to own themselves outdone! 
and to give up the chase. j 

The most terrible evil, however, that can befall the 
white bear, and one which he seldom seems to think oh 
providing against, is the work, not of man or beast, but; 
of the sea. The author just quoted states that he once 
saw one of these creatures imprisoned on a block ofj 
floating ice two hundred miles from land ; and many 
Arctic explorers bear similar testimony. Though the beaii 
is too well protected by his fur, as well as too accustomed 
to the climate of the frigid zone, to fall a victim to the 
death-sleep that so often attacks non-acclimatized animals 
or men, he is not exempt from a certain drowsiness which 
sometimes overcomes him, particularly after a heavy meal. 

It may happen that he elects to go to sleep on a portion 
of the ice that is destined suddenly to be severed from 
the main block, and, on waking, finds himself cut off from 
his friends by several miles of sea. The same thing may 
happen when, worsted by a school of walruses that he 
has ventured to attack, he takes refuge on the first piece 
of ice that lies to hand — often a floating piece. In either 
case the poor wretch's plight is truly deplorable, for he 
will not take to the water unless he has some mark to swira 
at, and the fish that he can seize by stealth through a seal- 
hole are now able to keep out of his reach ; so that, as a 
rule, he is doomed to a lingering death from starvation. 
When two or more bears are thus cut off, the outcome is 
obvious : the weaker must die to feed the stronger. 

Sometimes the tide will bear one of the poor half- 
starved creatures ashore on the Scandinavian or Iceland 

26 



I4MONG THE BEARS OF THE NORTH 

last, and then his behaviour at sight of the first living 
'iing that comes in his way, be it man or beast, is such as 
''! have gained for him the evil character which he bears 
nong all the sailors and fishermen of the North — that 
I an implacable enemy to the whole animal creation ; 
Ci character which, as we have seen, does him but scant 
Istice, and is purely the fault of circumstances. 



il 



CHAPTER II 

HUNTING THE WILD EEINDEER '\ 

The reindeer. — Origin of the name. — His home. — The domesticated^ 
animal's great temptation. — Mr. Peter Dobell. — The reindeer's dis-j 
position. — A demand for five hundred carcasses. — Pursuit of a herd 
of six thousand. — The best time to himt. — Cut off on all sides. - 
Return of the herd to the plateau. — The gadflies. — A champion of- 
the herd. — Rushing into the trap. — The slaughter. — Death of ap 
hunter. — Taming the rest of the captives. — How to drive a reindeer. 

By " reindeer," the animal known only to North Europe 
and Asia must be understood here ; his American kins- 
man, the caribou, will receive attention in Chapter IV. ^ 

Our name for this beast is somewhat misleading, " rein " 
being merely a corruption of the German verb rennen, to^ 
run. His home is on the ice deserts of the Arctic Regions, ] 
as well as in Spitzbergen, Lapland, European and Asiatic^ 
Russia, and Finland. His shape is so well known from pic-- 
tures that it demands little description ; in size he is about * 
equal to the British deer, though of much stouter build. 

Another popular mistake is that of regarding him as 
essentially a domestic animal. In reality he is no more' 
so than the Texan horse or the Asiatic elephant ; though, ' 
like them, he is not difficult to tame, when once he finds • 
himself a captive beyond all hope of freedom. 

Anyone seeing for the first time the enormous herds ' 

28 



HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 

tame reindeer that roam unrestrained over the steppes 
ltd tundras of the Far North, might wonder that they do 
bt make their escape, particularly when they have not 
^en born and reared in captivity. Yet, generally speak- 
g, they are seldom tempted thereto. One bait there 

that will draw them, the existence of which it is the 
|fcrd-owner's constant endeavour to abolish. This is 
|e fly-killing mushroom {Agaricus muscarius), or the 
looJc hamor, as the Siberians call it. The reindeer 
IS an immoderate fondness for this fungus, when once 
,p has acquired a taste for it, and, unless all traces of it 
ke carefully removed from his whereabouts, he will stray 
ir miles seeking to find more. On these occasions the 
carch for the missing herd resolves itseK into a veritable 
indeer hunt, and sometimes days and weeks elapse 
pfore the herd is again collected ; even then many may 
;3 found to be missing. Nor is it an uncommon occur- 
ence, when hunting wild herds, to find among them one 
* more individuals with the private mark of some owner 
branded on them. 

A genuine Avild-reindeer hunt is exciting enough at the 
;3ginning, but both disappointing and dangerous in the 
jaish. An interesting account of one is given by Mr. 
Jeter Dobell, who, travelling from Russia to China by 
I ay of Siberia in the days when no Siberian railway was 
3t dreamt of, had an excellent opportunity of studying 
le habits of this useful and long-suffering creature. 

Judging from the domesticated specimens which he 
rst saw among the Siberians, he was disposed to take 
le view of many naturalists and travellers in those parts — 
-that the reindeer is a brow-beaten, spiritless-looking 
|bject, a prey to man and beast and insect ; half starved, 

29 



HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 

and without the wit or the courage to defend himself froi 
his enemies. But this opinion was speedily to be modified 
and improved when he came in touch with the wilf 
creature. t 

The commander of some Russian troops stationed no/ 
far distant sent, to the village where Mr. Dobell waA 
making a halt, an instant demand for five hundre^i 
reindeer carcasses. On the same evening, word was brough- 
by native scouts sent out from the village that a herd of si]i 
thousand or more of wild deer were browsing on a piec^ 
of rising ground some five or six miles to northward. 

Much of that night was passed in the construction of ji 
huge wooden enclosure at a point midway between tht 
village and the spot where the deer where gathered ; anc 
at early morning the peasants, accompanied by Dobel 
and armed with stout clubs and spears, set out in a body^^ 
With them went a pack of dogs, fierce and fleet, seemin^i 
a cross between the Russian greyhound and the Eskimc 
dog ; half wild themselves, and apparently well calculated 
to terrify and drive, and, unless carefully watched, to pul 
down the hunted animals. 

The scouts had not exaggerated ; fully six thousand, 
deer, all of them sturdy and well fed, were roaming oveijl 
a low tableland, cropping the shrubs and lichens that 
flourished there in great profusion. The fat and healthy 
appearance of the animals was due to the fact of its being? 
the autumn. Reindeer migrate twice a year — in spring and 
in autumn — and it is during these seasons that the hunt- 
ing takes place, the latter being preferred, both because 
the herds have had the benefit of the summer feeding,J 
and also because they stand less chance of escape bj^ 
means of the rivers, which in the spring are still covered^ 

30 



HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 

ith ice. The deer can, of course, swim fast enough when 
bsolutely driven to it ; but as long as they possibly can 
ley avoid the rivers, and so are often caught with com- 
arative ease, where, if the water were frozen, they would 
tamper across it and quickly out-distance their pursuers. 

At sight of the herd, the dogs set off at a brisk gallop 
)und to the far side of the little plateau ; but, before they 
Duld come within touch of the reindeer, these had scented 
leir approach and were careering in a body down the 
;eep slope on the north side, making for the plain beyond ; 
)r no dog ever born has a keener sense of smell than the 
sindeer. 

Dobell was disposed to give up the hunt as futile, but 
is companions made light of this initial disappointment. 

" They cannot escape us," said the principal hunter. 
Before they have run another two miles they will come 
) a wide stream, and that will turn them back ; if, indeed, 
ley ever reach it. There ! what did I say ?" 

The party had by this time reached the top of the 
ibleland, from which a wide view of the country round 
as afforded. The fleeing herd had stopped as though 
lystified, and were standing restlessly, noses in air, mid- 
ay between the hunters and a wide tributary stream 
lat ran in almost a straight line from east to west. 

" I suppose they smell the water and are afraid of it ?" 
'.marked the Englishman. 

" No, your excellency, it is not that. They are terrified 
y the gadflies, and they see no hill but this on which 
) take refuge from them. Ah ! they are prettily caught, 
hey will be back here directly, and we must climb down 
iiis side-slope if we do not wish to be trampled to death." 
I Next to the wolf and the wolverene, or glutton, the 

31 



HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 



n 



reindeer's bitterest foe is the gadfly, which, during the 
summer and autumn, pursues him relentlessly, worrying 
him till his life becomes unendurable. Worse than this, 
in the later autumn, just when he is exchanging his grey- 
brown summer coat for a thicker, woolly covering of a 
lighter shade, these pestilential insects elect to lay their 
eggs on the surface of the hair ; and, as these hatch, the 
larvae pierce a way for themselves through the outer skin/ 
driving the wretched creature almost beside himself with" 
pain and irritation. From these tormentors his only chance 
of escape is to flee to the higher ground and remain there .'- 

Seeing the herd disorganized and halting, the dogs 
redoubled their pace, and the deer, thus placed between 
two fires, rapidly made up their minds to return to their 
former refuge. The dogs, being at odds of less than one^' 
to a hundred, did not charge the enemy, but sought to' 
get between them and the river — a measure which did 
credit to their instinct of self-preservation. Even as it 
was, one old male, presumably the champion of the herd, 
made a sidelong sweep with his antlers at the nearest 
hound, which, the next moment, was sent stunned and] 
lacerated a good twelve or fifteen feet away. 

Scared by the swarm of flies that buzzed round them, 
and terrified at the baying of the pack, the reindeer 
pressed closer together, turned, and eventually dashed in 
a body back to the tableland, on either side of which the' 
hunters were waiting — a few in reindeer cars, but most ofj 
them on foot — ready to drive the panic-stricken animals 
into the compound prepared for them. 

Compared to a stampede of cattle, or even of ordinary 
stags, the rush of the herd sounded curiously muffled 
and hushed ; for the feet of reindeer are covered with stiff, 

32 



HUNTING THE A¥ILD REINDEER 



I: 



Irong hair, even underneath, and this prevents them 
{[om shpping when running on the ice. Seeing the 
lijninence in front of them, they made no attempt to turn 
ti the dogs that were now at their very heels, but 
erambled Hke mountain-goats up the incHne. But here 
^as no rest or refuge for them, for the hunters on either 
jde chmbing nearly to their level, all shouting together, 
bd hurling an occasional stick or stone, added to their 
jiirprise and panic. The dogs behind increased their 
larking, and in one or two cases even pulled down a 
ilggard deer, so that, poor beasts, they had no alternative 
rut to " keep on going." 

They pushed despairingly down the opposite hill, only 
}D find themselves between the two detachments of 
imters, who had raced down to the level as quickly as 
hey, and with still the inevitable dogs snapping at their 
(ocks and threatening their haunches. Hoping to outrun 
iheir human persecutors, they fled across the plain in a 
ttraight line ; but the men in the cars could keep pace with 
yhem, and, ahead, a lane of women and children was wait- 
■ ig to act as a main channel to the treacherous enclosure. 
When Dobell, panting and almost exhausted with his 
Ijjnning, came up with the rest, hardly a score of the deer 
lad escaped ; the bulk were fast enclosed in the staked 
jompound. 

J Next came the " death." With the exception of the 
ve or six hundred doomed animals, the herd was allowed 
p escape — or, rather, was driven by shouts and stones — 
ito a larger enclosure that opened out of the compound, 
.ae entry of which was abruptly closed by sliding poles as 
iDon as a sufficient number had passed through. 
j To English ideas, the slaughter that followed was some- 

33 c 



HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 

what revolting, though, indeed, the operation was not as 
free from danger as at first might appear. The outer 
gate was flung open, and dogs and men swarmed in, while 
the persecuted prisoners huddled themselves together ill 
one corner of the trap. Now that no restraint was laid 
on their movements, the dogs seemed averse to attacking 
the antlered crowd, and contented themselves with barking, 
springing back immediately at the least hint of aggressive 
movement on the part of the game. The hardy natives, 
on the other hand, made no ceremony about the work thalj 
they had in hand, but plunged with clubs or spears intd 
the midst of the herd. 

At first Mr. Dobell decided that there was nothing 
further worth a sportsman's watching, and was turning 
away, disgusted at the spectacle of such unresisted 
slaughter, when he saw something that encouraged him 
to remain. What had at first seemed to him mere insane 
fright or meek surrender, on the part of the animals, now 
showed itself to have some method about it. The rein- 
deer, limited though their intelligence was, had grasped 
the idea that they were in greater danger from the men 
than from the noisy, blustering dogs ; and the males were 
only waiting while the females — distinguishable by their 
smaller antlers — found their way to the centre of the 
crowd, to offer a very decided stand. Evidently the firstj 
of those slain were females that were tardy in seekin 
shelter. 

Suddenly one old buck, then another, then several more 
separated themselves from their fellows, and showed signs 
of readiness to do battle. Dobell had allowed for their 
being able to do considerable damage with their horns, but 
here, he imagined, their self-protective resources ended ; 

34 




The Reindeer's Method of Defence 

The damage which can be inflicted by a reindeer when cornered is not confined to his 
horns, for he rears up on his hind legs and lands out violently at his assailant with 
both forefeet together. 



i HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 

Itherefore he was considerably astonished when, as one of 
the natives came forward with spear couched, the nearest 
jreindeer reared on his haunches, and landed out boldly 
*with both fore-feet together, striking the unfortunate 
Ihunter in the abdomen, and bringing him to the ground. 
But, the next moment, the plucky beast fell, with his skull 
{smashed by the club of another hunter. Nothing 
daunted, the other males offered the same resistance, 
'knocking down a dozen or more men, who, active and 
experienced as they were, could not always escape so 
powerful an onslaught. Needless to say, Dobell did 
not wait to see the end of such a revolting massacre ; but 
he learned afterwards that one man was killed and four 
or five permanently injured by the frantic resistance of 
the deer, in addition to several others who had minor 
wounds or fractures to display. 

For a day or two the Englishman could not bring him- 
self to taste the flesh of animals thus slaughtered ; but at 
last, yielding to curiosity, he found it nutritious and 
even inviting. The natives themselves took the ordinary 
meat for granted, but they revelled in a dish that, to our 
palates, would be nauseating. The lichen and masticated 
moss found in the stomachs of the dead animals was 
mixed with sweet berries and made into a cake — one of the 
most highly esteemed delicacies among the Tunguses, 
Samoyeds, and Kamchadales of Siberia. The Eskimos, 
still farther north, have exactly the same craving for the 
contents of this animal's stomach, though they prepare it 
differently, adding to the moss or lichen some of the blood 
of the beast, together with some meat, fat and lean, 
finely chopped. This appetizing concoction is smoke- 
dried, and forms a useful winter meal. 

35 c 2 



HUNTING THE WILD REINDEER 

Before he left his entertainers, Mr. Dobell had a chance 
of observing the transformation of the wild beast of the 
tundra into the dorcestic animal of the village. Hunger 
or sameness of diet is no punishment to the reindeer ; he 
is too used to such a state of things ; and, as a rule, starva- 
tion plays no part in his breaking-in. After being shut up 
for nearly three days, the animals showed little disposition 
to rebel. They were divided amongst their captors, and 
each man at once set to work to accustom his beasts to 
their task. A stout collar of reindeer-skin was fastened 
round the neck of the animal that required breaking in, 
and from this a rope made of tendons was carried under 
his belly, and made fast to the front of a sledge of much 
heavier build than those employed for ordinary purposes 
of locomotion. Where one particular individual showed 
signs of refractoriness, an extra pair of traces, one on either 
side, was fastened between the collar and the sledge. 

The driving apparatus was simpler still, for it consisted 
merely of a single cord tied round the base of the horns. 
Thus harnessed for the first time, the deer made no objec- 
tion to running, but, with the unaccustomed weight behind 
him, soon found that he could no longer choose his own 
pace or, altogether, his own direction. In reality, there is 
but one thing that the wild reindeer has to learn before 
he can draw a sledge as well as his domestic brother, and 
that is to obey the touch of the rein that is his guiding 
signal. In driving this curious steed, the occupant of the 
sledge lays his single cord across the animal's right 
haunch when he is to go to the right, or on the left when he 
is to turn in the reverse direction ; and, to do these half, 
or wholly, uncivilized masters justice, they generally 
inculcate this lesson rather by patience than by cruelty. 

36 



CHAPTER III 

ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

The wolf's character. — A boatswain who fought a pack of wolves. — The 
pui'suit. — The boatswain at bay. — Meeting the enemy with rifle- 
butt. — Rescued. — Man-eating wolves. — Eskimo method of 
trapping them. — Some frightened captives. — The wolf's ingenuity. 
— Wolf-taming. — A wolf that refused to " quit." — " Jack's " 
method of domesticating himself. — His tragic death. — Hunting 
the wolf for food. — Eating him. 

Wolves, we know, are abundant enough in the tem- 
perate regions of Europe and in India ; there is even a 
Tasmanian " woK," hke enough in shape and disposition 
to his antipodean namesake to appear to be of no very 
distant connexion ; but the North — the region of cold 
and of scant victuals — is what one thinks of as his real 
home ; and those wolves which are not by nature peculiar 
to that quarter of the globe are being driven there gradu- 
ally. We find them, in one form or another, almost any- 
where and everywhere north of lat. 40°, except in those 
quarters where, as in the case of Britain, he has been 
systematically exterminated. 

In appearance the average wolf puts one in mind of a 
stiffly built, though lean and short-haired, collie ; but the 
set and colour of his eyes — they are slanting, and of a 
flame-coloured green — render him more savage-looking 

37 



ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

than most dogs. His character is too well known to need 
much description — that of a sneaking bully who relies on 
force of numbers, and not on individual pluck. In at 
least ninety per cent, of the stories of travellers being at- 
tacked by wolves, we find that the assailants are in a pack, 
and that the assailed are in a very decided minority. 
And even then there are cases on record of man's ready wit 
and enduring courage being more than a match for them. 

The boatswain of one of the ships that were sent in 
search of poor Franklin went off one day by himself 
reindeer-hunting, and after a good deal of patient stalking, 
succeeded in shooting one of the animals. When he had 
made a convenient bundle of as much of the carcass as 
he could remove, he started to drag it along over the 
snow back to the ship. But he had not gone far before 
he heard a faint, metallic noise behind him that made him 
quicken his steps, for he knew at once that it proceeded 
from a pack of wolves. The brutes had smelt the carcass 
from afar, and must soon reach the spot where the rein- 
deer had been killed. To devour the head and intestines 
that he had left behind would, he knew well, occupy the 
famished creatures only a few moments, and thenceforth 
they would be travelling on a hot scent. 

Yet the sailor obstinately refused to leave his prize and 
make a dash for safety, though he changed his walk to a 
brisk trot. The baying came nearer and nearer, and for 
a second or two swelled into a bellowing, discordant 
whoop, a sure sign that the wolves had reached the 
remainder of the deer's carcass. The boatswain, still 
keeping up his uniform trot, now gained a little on his 
pursuers, but only for a minute ; the next, the barking 
sounded as near as ever — nearer, in fact, though on looking 

38 



ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

iback the boatswain could still see nothing, for a low hill 
separated him from his starting-point 

But, the next time he stole a glance round, the wolves 
had scaled this, and were almost falling over one another 
in their anxiety to reach the bottom again ; and the 
whole thirty-five or forty of them, looking in the distance 
like so many rats or rabbits, came racing after the man, or 
the carcass, or both, at a speed which put all hope of 
flight out of the boatswain's head. Like a prudent 
strategist, the old man now prepared to take whatever 
advantage the ground offered him, and accordingly made 
a dash for a rock that projected some fifteen feet above the 
snow. Arrived there, he took up a position at the side 
of the rock, which was rectangular and about ten feet long 
by three broad, and here stood in such a manner that he 
would not be screened by it from the telescope of anybody 
on board who happened to be looking that way ; then, 
throwing his venison on to a broken ledge a foot above 
his head, he opened his cartridge-pouch ready for action, 
and shouted lustily to the pack to come on and do their 
worst against a British sailor. 

Come on they certainly did, and were met with two 
charges of large shot, which brought down the two fore- 
most wolves, and sent two more howling and limping to 
the rear of the pack. The others paused, hesitating 
between attacking the man, running away, and devouring 
their fallen comrades ; and the sturdy old sailor took 
advantage of the interval to reload. At the next two 
discharges another wolf fell dead, and one ran madly 
backwards, evidently blinded by some of the shots. 

The pack seemed by this time to have " agreed to 
difiEer," for while one section fell upon the bodies of the 

39 



ADVENTURES WITH AVOLVES 

dead wolves, another closed in on the boatswain, whc 
had bare time to insert one cartridge. The foremost wol 
now ventured so near that he got the full benefit of the 
shot, which, being fired at such close quarters, blew his 
head to atoms, and his followers gave back a foot or two, 
though not sufficiently to allow the sailor to think of re- 
loading. Even Avhile he wondered what to do next, three 
of the creatures leapt forward again, only leaving him 
time to club his gun and prepare to receive them. 

Savagely jabbing the stock in the face of the first comer, 
the boatswain fetched the next one a back-handed blow 
on the top of the head, at the same time shouting with 
all the breath he had left. One wolf recoiled with great 
lamentation, the second dropped dead, while the third 
still stood grinning like a lurcher that meditates an 
attack on a sheep. 

" You'd better by half sheer off, mate," growled the 
old fellow, accompanying his words with a not badly 
judged kick at the beast's jaw, just as he was about to 
fly at him. The iron- tipped boot caught the wolf just 
in the throat, and he retired yelping and vomiting. 

The next moment the sailor was as near death as even 
a man of his calling is ever likely to be, without actually 
dying ; for a crash sounded somewhere to his left, and 
a rifle-bullet hissed past his chest so close that it scored 
a little line along the front of his jacket. Yet this ill- 
judged shot had the good effect of causing his nearest 
and most threatening persecutors to turn their heads 
towards the place whence it came. The boatswain in- 
voluntarily imitated them, and saw coming towards him 
at the double, Commander Osborn — the ship's chief — 
with a sergeant of marines. Thus reinforced, he began 

40 




A Plucky Boatswain 

The boatswain placed the venison on a ledge above him, and after shooting several of 
the wolves he had only time to club his gun before they attacked him. He jabbed one 
savagely in the face with the stock, and landed the next one a backhanded blow on the 
top of the head. 



ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

■I 

|o grow overbold, and charged at the enemy — a motion 
mich might have proved fatal to him but for the speedy 
jrrival of the sergeant with his service rifle and the Com- 
bander with a revolver ; for two wolves that had feared 
(lis face had no objection to his back, and one of them 
[hat had now got behind him was actually springing up 
b make a snap at his shoulder, when a revolver-bullet 
Irom the officer killed him in mid-air. Then, after a 
jittle more snarling, all those animals that were not 
iccupied with a gruesome meal turned and fled, and a 
jBW more shots soon killed or routed these. 
'I Among all classes of wolves there is sometimes found 
jt^hat is known as a " man-eater " ; that is, one that has 
lomehow been allowed to acquire such a taste for human 
esh that he will muster up enough courage to lurk out- 
lide a house and wait for a child. Quite recently one of 
ihese pests ran off with a baby from a Norwegian farm, 
Lnd the child was only saved by the opportune arrival 
i»f a big dog, which drove off the wolf. 

Commander Osborn heard similar and more horrible 
leports among the Eskimos, who showed him with great 
♦ride that, in a general way, they were able to make 
hort work of any woK that should dare to come near 
heir dwellings. Three blocks of ice, chipped to equal 
jdze, were placed as boys set the bricks of a bird-trap — 
.e., two parallel, and the third across one of the end 
•penings. Inside, a bait of reindeer-meat was placed, and 
.bove, a pivot-door made of slats of driftwood was 
odged ; and no sooner did the wolf touch the bait than 
le pulled over the slender prop which supported the door. 
Chis immediately fell in on him, and as it was too 
lieavy for him to raise, he must lie there till the Eskimos 

41 



ADVENTURES WITH AYOLVES 



i 



came and put an end to him by stabbing him throu, 
the slats. 

If he is once trapped, the wolf differs from almost everj 
other animal in not becoming more fierce than usual 
Even a mouse will bite the finger that is inserted inlic 
his trap ; but the wolf, when quite certain that he cannot 
get away, will as often as not crouch in one corner ani 
howl dismally at the approach of man. The Rev, 
J. G. Wood even quotes a case wherein an Americar 
farmer, who had caught three wolves in a pit, coolly 
lowered himself into it, " pulled out the hind-legs of the 
wolves as they lay trembling at the bottom, and with his 
knife severed the chief tendon of the hind limbs, so as to 
prevent their escape." 

But — first catch your wolf. He is a wary beast, 
almost as difiicult to trap as a fox. The late Professor 
George Romanes states that a wolf, for which a spring- 
gun has been set, has been known to sever the cord con- 
necting bait and gun, and then to march off in triumph 
with the bait. 

Some naturalists have said that this animal is incapable 
of being tamed. The statement is rather sweeping, for 
hunters, soldiers, and sailors have repeatedly been most 
successful, not only in domesticating wolf-cubs, but even 
in taming full-grown animals. Mr. George Ruxton, an 
Englishman who travelled many thousands of miles in 
Canada and the States, while agreeing with other 
authorities as to the creature's cowardice, credits him 
with a certain amount of affection and teachableness. 

Mr. Ruxton had shot a moose, and while his servants 
were quartering the body, an old black wolf suddenly 
appeared from among the trees, and stood whining like 

42 



ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

lungry dog. Knowing the cowardice of the beast, the 

iglishman would not expend a cartridge on him, but 

3king up a piece of wood, threw it at him, and the 

iM fled. But before the party were ready to return to 

^pir camp, back came the animal whining as before. 

young colonist took off his cap and brandished it, 

fpng, " If you come much nearer, old friend, you'll get 

!^rt"; and once more the intruder turned tail. But 

S:er a few minutes he came back, and the young 
^nadian, slicing off a piece of waste meat, held it out to 
Ito, with the remark : " Come on, Jack ; good dog ! Beg !" 
''This time the wolf did not take flight, but merely 
icked away nervously, like a dog that expects a blow. 
de young fellow again spoke encouragingly to him, and 
" last, keeping one hand on the revolver in his belt in 
1|se of need, he walked straight up to the hungry creature, 
^ill holding out the tempting delicacy. But this was 
■b much for " Jack's " nerves, and he slunk off, albeit 
ith his head turned back towards the proffered meal. 
et no sooner did the hunter retrace his steps than he 
'otted back again, and gave the most piteous howl. 
' " Let us try an experiment," said Ruxton ; and he 
j.ve directions to the servants to gather up carefully 
[ose parts of the moose that should have been left 
shind ; and then all set off towards the camp, the wolf 
Rowing at a pace that maintained a uniform distance 
;tween him and them ; and when they arrived at their 
sstination he sat down on his haunches and whined 
;ain. It was now pretty clear that there was nothing 
> fear from him, but to make quite sure the young 
inadian stole as near to him as he would suffer without 
•treating, and lay down as though asleep or dead. But, 

43 



ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

though he persevered in this for a quarter of an hour, tl 
animal would come no nearer ; and as soon as the cam t 
fire was lighted, he moved off altogether. 

But in the morning, when everything was packed u 
for a long march northwards, one of the men cried oui. 
" Here's our Jack turned up again "; and, more hungr; 
looking than ever, the wolf stood meekly outside t 
camp. This time Ruxton flung him a piece of meat 
He started back as though he thought it was a brickbat 
but at last, getting scent of the missile, he pounced upo 
it and disposed of it as only a wolf can, then stood lickinj- 
his lean chops and blinking his willingness to receivi 
further donations. Another piece was thrown to hiai 
and he made short work of it ; then another, and another 
till Ruxton began to wonder what the butcher's bill of |i 
tame wolf would amount to in the course of a year. 

The travellers moved on, and Jack followed, alway: 
backing, however, if any of the men turned to wait foi 
him ; and that night he lay down to sleep outside th( 
range of the fire-light, having made a supper of somt i 
broken meat and bones that were thrown to him. Thisj 
sort of thing continued for several days, the wolf becoming ii 
tamer each day, till, though he would not allow himselli; 
to be touched, he would take — or more properly speakingi^J 
snatch — a piece of meat from a man's hand. 

But one afternoon, when Jack was trotting gaily behind; 
his friends, strange voices were heard among the trees ;' 
and while the travellers paused to see who the new-' 
comers might be, the crack of a rifle sounded close by J 
and poor Jack dropped dead. 

" I presume you didn't know your lives were in danger,": 
observed the idiot who had shot him. 

44 



j 



ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

llr We know now," said the young Canadian dryly. " A 
i|low who'll pot at a tame wolf, will pot at anything." 
A traveller in the same parts — the celebrated John 
liiarles Fremont — tells us two things about the American 
i!)lf : one, of which most people are aware, that he makes 
it a poor show when pitted against the bison ; the 

ter, less known as well as less credible, that he is very 
id eating, 
i During one of his exploring expeditions Fremont saw 
iSght between a pack of these animals and a herd of bison, 
Biry similar to that witnessed by Captains Lewis and 
ferke ;* and he was also reduced to a very novel species 
c wolf -tracking — viz., to obtain food for himself and his 
-llowers. Winter had come before its time, and, owing 
the scarcity of game, Fremont could see his party being 
ijduced to a regimen of roots, boots, and berries, unless 
J.ance should throw some animal in their way. 
>' One morning the hungry men came upon the trail of 
small pack of wolves, but as these had passed along at 
'great rate, it was likely that the hunt would be a long 
ie. They followed the track till after midday, and at 
'St were rewarded by hearing the frantic baying of the 
ick. The men began to pluck up heart, for it was 
jghly probable, from the sound, that the wolves had 
ither started a moose, or else had cut off a bison from 
I me herd that were belated in their southward migra- 
on. 

The hunters branched off from their path as the trail 
iddenly made a sweep, and sure enough came upon 
le footprints of a bison. Then, as they drew nearer to 
le baying and yelping, and came in sight of the wolves, 

* See " Adventures in the Great Deserts," chap. iii. 
45 



ADVENTURES WITH WOLVES 

they found that the pack were carrying into practice 
trick, the knowledge of which these animals share wit 
jackals and other wild beasts of the Canidoe — that o 
driving their quarry towards a precipice, and frightenin, 
him over its brink. The bison, cut off from retreat b; 
a crescent of wolves, went plunging on, and, unable ti 
stop himself, fell headlong over the steep bluff to whicl 
his enemies had been urging him. • [ 

But if the explorers flattered themselves that they wer« 
in for a meal of bison-beef, they had reckoned without 
the Avolves. Long before the men could reach the bluff 
let alone chmb down it, the pack had swept down a side 
path with the speed of a mountain-torrent, and wher 
Fremont and his companions had come within gunshot 
the very bones of the dead animal were picked clean, and 
the wolves, smelling more flesh, were looking towards the 
men as though they would fain serve them as they had 
served the bison. This was awkward, for ammunition 
was short, and the wolves were over-many to be ap- 
proached with butt-ends. 

A dozen proved marksmen fired, each bringing down 
his wolf ; and the remainder of the pack, disconcerted by 
the volley, fled hot-foot. 

We may judge how hungry these fellows must have been 
from the fact that no European or American animal 
will touch wolf's flesh — the wolf, of course, excepted. 
Yet they found the meat tasty enough, as other travellers 
have done before and since ; and Mr. Wood, in writing 
on the subject of wolf -flesh, says that " when properly 
dressed, it affords a most excellent dinner. The ribs are 
the portion which is most esteemed." 



46 



CHAPTER IV 

HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU, AND THE WAPITI 

'lie elk, or moose. — His disposition. — " Calling." — Another of Mr. 

J Ruxton's adventures. — " Creeping." — A moose family. — An un- 
expected turn of the tables. — Some well-disciplined trappers. — 

'; The bull-moose missing. — An explanation. — Moose-stalking in 

I; winter. — A powerful swimmer. — The caribou. — Lieutenant Hardy's 
caribou-chase. — A strange method of progress. — Nearly drowned. 
— The wapiti. — John Keast Lord. — The Indian's reindeer. — Lasso- 
ing the animal. — The mystery of two strips of ermine. 

il 

HETHER we dub him moose or elk, and whether his home 
) North Europe, North Asia, or North America, the 
iimal answering to those names is the same — one of the 
lire instances of the old world and the new having an 
limal in common. He is the largest of all the deer 
inily, his wide-spreading horns alone weighing about 
ilf a hundredweight ; these, it should be explained, do 
bt spread in branches Hke those of most deer, but rather 
|.ke a leaf-like form, notched or scalloped round the 
pper edge. 

The elk does not usually come to full size till he reaches 
s fourteenth year, and at that age he will measure six, 
id even seven, feet from the shoulder to the ground. 
is coat is of long, bristling, grey-brown hair, changing 
the winter (as far as the male is concerned) to a shiny 
ack ; and his neck is furnished with a short mane of 

47 



HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU, 

coarse hair. His speed and powers of endurance are besi 
illustrated by the fact that when domesticated — and the 
Swedes were at one time most successful as elk-tamers^ 
he can draw a loaded sledge a distance of two hundred 
miles in a day. 

Driven to bay, he can be a very fierce antagonist, for 
his enormous strength, and the ease with which he can use 
his head as a battery, render him unapproachable by dogs 
or wolves, unless in large packs. When not interfered 
with, he is as timid as the rest of his family, except just at 
the pairing season. It is then that the hunters, both Indian 
and civilized, most pursue him, for he is easily attracted by 
any noise that, at a distance, he can mistake for the cry 
of the female. The artificial sound which most nearly 
approaches this cry is the dull, booming blast given forth 
by a wooden trumpet, and it is of this implement that 
the starters of the game avail themselves. But woe 
betide the man who " calls up " a moose, and is not pre- 
pared to shoot as soon as the game comes within range ; 
for the animal does not like to be made a fool of, and is 
ever ready to butt, or trample, or kick the unwary caller 
to death. 

Another method of elk or moose hunting is by " creep- 
ing " him, and this Mr. George Ruxton, the traveller 
mentioned in the last chapter, once or twice saw put into 
practice among the Canadian trappers. Creeping consists 
in closely following the animal's trail till the hunter comes 
within shooting distance ; and it goes without saying that 
this is generally a long and wearisome process. Ruxton 
and his companions set off at daybreak one morning, 
following a recent trail till it led to a more open part of 
the forest, where they found signs of there having been a 

48 



I AND THE WAPITI 

■I 

^biily gathering of moose ; for, in addition to the track 

n the " bull " which they had been pursuing, there were 

■\e. marks of an old female and of half a dozen younger 

limals. This was not particularly strange, for as often 

j not these deer live in families made up of grandparents, 

■[.rents, and children. 

I But now the trail wound away again into tlie thickest 

Irt of the forest, till Ruxton, who was then new to this 

km of sport, could not conceive how the animals could 

i;,ve made their way ; for the path they had taken was 

sioken and rocky, often blocked by fallen trees and inter- 

ipted by tributary streams ; more than that, in places 

!;was half roofed over by the low, horizontal boughs of 

Jie trees on either side, so that a six-foot man, in walking 

:ider them, would touch them with his cap. Yet 

ijiixton's companions assured him that there was no 

j^n of even the " bull's " having decreased his speed in 

li.ssing under them. After an interminable march, one 

the trappers declared that he could hear the animals 
lilling at the twigs of the trees ahead, and all stood still 
■ listen. It should be mentioned that the neck of the 
oose is disproportionately short, and that therefore he 

seldom able to graze like other beasts of his class ; 
jstead, he crops at bushes and the low-hanging boughs of 
pes. 

Ruxton himself could hear nothing, though the spot 
iiere the animals were supposed to be was to wind- 
ird of them. But evidently the hunter was right, 
r his companions, in moving on again, stole forward 
ie redskins on the war-path ; and those whose 
lins were strapped over their shoulders speedily un- 
iing them. After a minute's walk, the trapper who had 

49 D 



HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU, 

before stopped the party cried : " Hold on ! What waa 
that ?" 

Everyone paused, and Ruxton could now easily hear 
the steady tramp of feet, Hke the approach of half a dozen 
unshod horses coming towards them over the short 
grass. Even the wisest of the trappers looked puzzled, 
and nobody ventured to speak. Suddenly the leader 
said in a loud whisper : 

" Make yourselves as small as you can. They're 
coming this way." And the Englishman had an oppor- 
tunity of admiring the wonderful skill and celerity with 
which these men each singled out a hiding-place for 
himseK — one in a natural gully, another under a bush, 
a third on his knees behind a fallen tree- trunk, and so 
on. For the Canadian or the Yankee hunter, born and 
trained in the ways of woodcraft, and accustomed to find 
his purse, his stomach, and often his life, depending on 
the success of his warfare with wild beasts, adds all the 
energy, resourcefulness, and calculating powers of the 
white race to the subtlety of sense and activity of body 
which he has acquired from his Indian teachers. 

Ruxton was looking helplessly round for a place of 
concealment when a young Canadian, who had leapt on 
to the broad limb of a tree three feet above the ground, 
put out a hand and dragged him up beside him. 

" You'll get a shot here safe enough," he whispered. 
" Thank goodness the wind's this way, and they can't 
smell us. Wonder what Oho ! Look out !" 

The next moment his rifle went off, so close to Ruxton's 
ear as to deafen him for the moment, and a young moose 
buck that had come in sight fell dead. Then, all round, 
sounded shots from other guns, and to the Englishman's 

50 



AND THE WAPITI 

'^^ewildered gaze a whole regiment of moose seemed to 
lave sprung from nowhere, and to be faUing right and 
^ft before the unerring aim of his companions. 
I The firing ceased again, and Ruxton and his colonial 
Viend jumped down from their tree. 
fj "Where's the old bull ?" asked someone. "Who got 



lim 



Nobody had either shot or seen the individual. The 
lUt speaker had dropped his gun and drawn a knife to 
Ive the coup de grace to the old female, that was still 
ibbly kicking, when, to the Englishman's horror, the 
jiissing animal sprang out snorting from among the trees, 
pd rushed open-mouthed at the man who was about to 
; r^ab the dying moose. 

The size of the beast was appalling, for he was higher 
y the back, by a good two feet, than a cart-horse, 
"j.uxton instinctively fired at him, wounding him in the 
;^aort ribs, but the moose ignored the bullet, and charged 

>rward, ready to use his most formidable weapon his 

oof — on his victim. And so terrible is the power of that 
i| eapon that he can kill a wolf, and often incapacitate a 
ii'3ar, with a single kick. 

■ But the trappers were like a well-disciphned squad of 

ildiers. Accident had divided them into two parties 

|ie on either side of the moose, and as those on the oppo- 

j:e side to which Ruxton stood levelled their guns, the 

jhers dropped to the ground as though shot, one of them 

illagging Ruxton with him. The httle volley crashed 

:irth, and the man with the knife had only time to 

I ke a backward spring before the moose dropped 

' ward on to the very spot where he had been etand- 

51 D 2 



HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU, ] 

While the hunters were debating as to what could havef 
caused this pecuHar stampede of the herd in their direc4 
tion, two strangers strolled up. 

" Where do we come in ?" asked one of them. " We 
started your game for you." And it transpired that 
these hunters had accidentally come upon the little family 
of moose from the far side ; but the animals had scented 
them long before they could get near enough to 
shoot, and in escaping from them, had run into a worse 
fate. 

In Mr. Ruxton's next experience of moose-tracking 
everything seemed to be in favour of the hunters, and 
everything to the disadvantage of the hunted. A heavy 
fall of snow had covered the ground over two feet deep, a 
circumstance which the trappers did not fail to avail 
themselves of. 

All the men donned snow-shoes, and thus were able to 
glide swiftly over the thinly-glazed surface. Ahead, 
a moose was painfully struggling to get away from his 
pursuers, of whom he had got scent long before they 
came in sight. The poor beast had little thought o| 
turning to bay, for, with his legs more than half buried 
in the snow, he could no more kick than a hobble 
horse. 

Yet the trappers were not to have everything theii 
own way. By the time they had come within long range 
it was seen that the moose was making for a hill-torrent 
which it was his evident intention to cross. Two of the 
men fired, but at that distance their bullets could not 
have more than penetrated the skin, and beyond a furtive 
look round, the moose took no notice of them. The 
hunters doubled their speed, but the animal, plodding 

52 



: 




A Cornered Moose 

ine bull moose sprang out open-mouthed from among the trees and made for the 
hunter, who had dropped his gun, but a volley rang out, and the animal fell almost on 
the hunter, who had only just time to spring backward. 



AND THE WAPITI 

steadily on, threw himself into the torrent, and began 
bravely to make for the far side ; for the moose is a 
most powerful and rapid swimmer, able to cross a current 
that no man would dare to venture in. He has been used 
from his earliest days to the water, and in summer spends 
much of his time buried up to the neck in a pool or river, 
in order to escape the stings of the many insects that love 
to torment him. 

" Let him go," said one of the trappers. '' We couldn't 
get him if we shot him ;" for the stream was not fordable 
for miles, and the current far too swift to hold out much 
hope of its being frozen lower down. And the moose, 
so tantalizingly within reach, scrambled up the bank 
on the other side, and disappeared among the pine- 
trees. 

The caribou is not more than haK the height of 
bhe elk, though his tall, handsome antlers make him 
appear a large beast ; and he is so closely related to 
jlie reindeer as to have gained the name of the 
"eindeer of the West, though no one has ever succeeded 
n taming him or persuading him to draw a sledge. 
,Ee is to be found in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions 
pf America, more commonly on the eastern than on the 
cv'estern side. 

Opinions differ as to caribou-meat as an article of diet, 
pome people maintain that it is as good as British venison, 
others that it is tasteless and most unsatisfying. But 
here are no two ways of thinking where the value of the 
|kin is concerned. Properly cured, it is capable of being 
|nade into clothes that will absolutely defy wet or cold ; 
ind it is mainly for its hide that the Eskimos and the 

53 



HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU, 

hunters of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia pursue the 
animal. 

Lieutenant Hardy, an artillery officer who was spend-' 
ing his furlough in Eastern Canada, found caribou-' 
hunting a very exciting sport, not unmixed at times with' 
danger. Guided by two Indian lads, he had one day'| 
succeeded in following up the trail of one of these creatures' 
across the snow, and at last contrived to get near enough' 
for a shot at him. But luck was against him : he fired| 
and missed ; and, without waiting for a second attempt^ 
on his life, the caribou fled at an astonishing rate, well'j 
protected by his broad hoofs either from slipping, or from 
sinking in spots where the snow was unfrozen. The 
Indian boys gave chase, and Mr. Hardy followed them'' 
as speedily as he could, till they came in sight of a small" 
lake which was covered with ice. On to this the caribou' 
had plunged, and was running along as comfortably as' 
though on land ; and the hunter, pulling up breathless, - 
saw his game escaping him beyond hope of recovery : for " 
the Indians had warned him that, if once this animal is 
allowed to reach the ice, to come up with him again is next 
to an impossibility. 

Not to be balked, the lieutena.nt started off across the ice 
and shouted to his guides to follow, and. the feet of all 
three being protected by moccasins, they made tolerably " 
good progress. Suddenly the caribou paused, stumbled, 
and then went sliding along on his hams at scarcely a less 
rate than when he was running. Laughing and stumbling 
himself, the young soldier increased his speed, and was '■ 
almost within gunshot when the beast jumped to his feet ' 
and continued running, this time making a deliberate ' 
turn to the right. Then Hardy saw, to his surprise, that 

54 



i AND THE WAPITI 

^kne of the Indian boys, fleet as a greyhound, had also 
liirned, and was trying to head the game off. The plan 
Jucceeded, for, seeing the redskin making for the same 
.aoint at which he himself was aiming, the caribou doubled, 
^i^nd then fell over just as he had done before, and continued 
^^lis progress by sliding. This peculiar trick arises from 
jliis extreme nervousness : he sees some obstacle in his 
Ipath, or finds himseK being pursued, and accordingly 
pies to pull up and wheel ; but as a rule he is going too 
fast to be able to stop himself, and the result is that he 
jgenerally covers a good half of the distance across the 
Ice " sitting down." 

: The second Indian boy had been running on Hardy's 
(Left, and now, quick as thought, imitated his feUow-guide's 
I'nanoeuvre, Hardy pressing forward as best he could the 
(|»vhile. 

I Once more the deer stumbled to his feet and caught 
Bight of the second Indian. He hesitated, looking in 
|i3very direction except the one that was still open to him, 
Ipawed the ice and bent his head for a moment as though 
he meditated an attack on one or other of the men ; and 
while he still wavered, the Enghshman shot him dead. 
-As the animal fell, a horrible booming crash rumbled 
across the lake from side to side — a sound with which 
jevery skater is familiar — followed by a cry from the Indian 
on Hardy's right front, and in an instant the boy had 
disappeared beneath the ice. 

To reach him in time to be of any use was almost hope- 
less, even if the ice had been perfectly safe all round him. 
Nevertheless, the Enghshman started off in great haste for 
the spot ; but before he was haK-way there the drenched 
black hair of the Indian showed itself above the surface ; 

55 



HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU 

then the hthe Httle body hoisted itself up on to a fi 
crag of ice, and, after a shake and a few stumbles ti 
redskin hurried off towards the fallen caribou. Lighil 
clad, active, and cool-headed, the youth had escaped wife 
out apparent difficulty what, to Hardy, would have bel 
certain death. , 

The wapiti is a much larger beast than the cariboo 
Specimens have been seen that differed but little froi 
the elk in size ; and he is unquestionably the handsomJ 
of all the Northern deer, if not of the whole tribe-powe^ 
ful, fleet, and courageous. To this must be added thff 
he IS exceedingly quarrelsome, and an incorrigible wife: 
beater. 

Of the many travellers who have hunted, trapped d 
written about this somewhat formidable beast, none wa- 
better quahfied to speak than the late Lieutenant 
John Keast Lord, army veterinary surgeon, whaler 
trapper, zoologist, journalist, snake-charmer, archseoloi 
gist, showman, and the first manager of the Brighton 
Aquarium. 

This versatile man was at one time acting as naturalisi 
to the British Columbia Boundary Commission, and 
during that time saw a great deal of the wapiti, as weDi 
as of the Indian methods of trapping and kiUing him I 

He found many of the Indians using the animalso 
precisely as the Eskimos use the reindeer-as draught-3 
beasts-and in this capacity they proved most docile- 
and enduring ; and at some camps he found large studs, 
of tamed wapiti. The means by which these had come'i 
into their owners' possession varied, but in most cases 
they had been caught in pitfalls. A deep pit was dug j 



AND THE WAPITI 

Wd covered treacherously with turf ; over this were laid 
tranches bearing either leaves or berries that would 
iempt the appetite of the animals. Sometimes a herd 
!)f about thirty would pass along, and out of that number 
it least ten would fall into the trap. 

When a very large herd of wapiti were known to be 
jn the neighbourhood, the Indians would go in chase on 
liorseback, and often succeed in driving them into a 
luge staked enclosure, similar to that in which reindeer 
(ire caught. But while Lord was returning from a 
iourney into the States, where he had been treating for 
* convoy of mules, he met with a system of wapiti- 
batching which was quite new to him — i.e., by means of 
:he lasso. 

He had fallen in with a tribe of friendly Indians, and 
:hese were so fascinated by his great size, strength, 
perfect horsemanship, and mastery of their tongue, that 
they were all anxiety to entertain him, as well as to 
initiate him into their methods of fighting and hunting. 
And first they took him lassoing. 

Riding at full speed, Lord and his companions crossed 
a bleak plain and entered a narrow strip of dismal forest. 
They had not been here long before shrill whistles from 
the far side were heard. These were signals from an 
advance guard, to the effect that a herd had been sighted 
and overtaken. Urging their horses through the break- 
neck thickets. Lord's party at length plunged once more 
into daylight and on to a desolate tableland, where a 
herd of close on a hundred deer were trotting nervously, 
first this way and then that. 

With wild outcries the savages spread themselves out, 
and began to ride swiftly round and round the tableland, 

57 



HUNTING THE ELK, THE CARIBOU, 

closing in more and more on the frightened creature 
till, utterly mystified and panic-stricken, they huddle 
together, or butted each other, in their despair Thei 
out came the lassos, and, regardless of either the wapiti^ 
frantic struggles or their determined charges at hors^ 
or men, the redskins deftly captured each his dee! 
and then coolly drew bow and arrow on those that wei! 
left. ' 

K 

The getting home was a laborious matter, for a wapit 
has no notion of meekly allowing himself to be towed alonj 
at his captor's chariot-wheels or saddle-girths ; and Lor. 
was not sorry to surrender his own charge to one of th' 
Indians, for he wanted to keep the animal ahve, am 
there seemed little chance of this while, alternating: 
between backing and butting, the creature continually 
tempted his new owner to shoot him to save himself from 
accident to hfe or hmb. 

The wapiti venison proved so tasty that the EngHsh-, 
man hankered after more of it, and, not unwilling to sho^- 
the chief of the tribe that his gun was as mighty as their! 
bows. Lord invited him to accompany him on foot on a 
trail which he had discovered. The old brave and his 
two sons at once made ready, and, just at starting,, 
pohtely begged the "great white warrior" to accept*, 
two small strips of ermine, one of which they bound 
round each of his ankles, leaving a few inches danglingi 
like an ill-tied boot-lace. Thinking this to be some, 
religious charm, the Enghshman prudently submitted i, 
and all four started on the trail of the deer, the redskins',' 
with their moccasins similarly adorned. 

The tracks led into the dismal little wood aforemen- ^ 
tioned, and here the chief abruptly stopped, pointed, 

58 



!i 



AND THE WAPITI 



'^"i.rough the trees, and fell flat on his face ; and as his sons 
'^?'lllowed his example, Lord did the same. Crawling 
'^pjiake-Uke along in this manner, the hunters came within 
'is%sy gunshot of a small herd ; and the Enghshman's 
'^■ngers itched to bring one of them down, but he was 
"f-pstrained by the courtesy due to his entertainers and 
"|(ieir less powerful weapons. 

I But what was his astonishment to see the three savages 
^■iddenly roll over on their backs and raise both legs to a 
liifE perpendicular ? 

I Again he imitated them, and, with his ears now so 
lose to the ground, could distinctly hear the footsteps 
if the deer coming a little nearer. Down went all three 
'lairs of legs again ; the bodies rolled over, and the Indians 
/riggled on again. Lord doing his best to follow. But 
% another minute the strange performance was repeated, 
lid once more the white man could hear the hoofs drawing 
•tearer. 

! While he was wondering how these extraordinary 
l^roceedings would appeal to a shooting-party in England, 
^jhe redskins had sprung round like trained acrobats, and 
':hree deer fell dead, each pierced by an arrow, while a 
"ourth and fifth fell to Lord's barrels before the herd could 
get clear. 

" Now, great chief," said the Englishman severely, 
when, all had resumed their natural attitudes, " hitherto 
you have hidden none of the secrets of your tribe from 
your great white brother. What virtue lies in this 
charm ?" and he pointed to the strip of ermine on one 
of his moccasins. 

" None," responded the Indian briefly. " It is no 
charm ; observe." He threw himself down as before, 

59 



HUNTING THE WAPITI 

but all that Lord could see was that, as the wind cauj 

Well? he asked, still puzzled. 

it "J^tJTu "'" '^" '™'"' """^^ ' *«y wonder wh 
I .s, then they come a little nearer to look. That 



60 



CHAPTER V 

A WALRUS HUNT 

seal with tusks.— The use of the tusks.— Hunting the wah-us.— The 
sentries.— Enter a Polar bear.— Fight between bear and walruses. 
—Exit the bear.— The first walrus shot.— A strange method of 
landing.— A cordon of walruses to fight.— Appearance of a second 
cordon.— A prudent retreat.— Difficulty of obtaining tusks.— A 
narrow escape for the whole party. 

fHE walrus may be briefly described as a seal with 
iisks. 

The seal must at all times be an object coveted by 
iunters, on account of its oil and its skin ; but if we 
iecollect that a walrus-carcass also produces oil— often 
lalf a ton per beast— that the skin is almost as valuable, 
hough used for other purposes, as the seal's, and that, 
:)esides all this, each tusk yields on an average from ten 
io twelve pounds of the most valuable grained ivory, 
We shall see that the walrus is an equally great temptation 
:o the hunter and the fisherman. 
There is, of course, a further reason why man should 

eek to kill him— namely , for food ; for the hungry traveller 
or the savage must eat what he can get, and the home of 
the walrus is a land where Httle meat besides what is 
■carried on the bones of himself and other sea-mammals 
lis to be had. Therefore, the Eskimo and the Arctic 

61 



A WALRUS HUNT 

explorer may perhaps be pardoned for their attacks O] 
him, whether planned or unpremeditated. 

The ground colour of this animal's coat is grey-black 
but this is covered with reddish hair. In length h( 
averages eleven feet, and in girth about ten. The tusks', 
usually about two inches in diameter at the base, varj^ 
from fifteen to thirty inches in length ; these are simplji 
elongated teeth fixed in the upper jaw, and their principal 
use is to assist the walrus in climbing the ice-hummocks' 
for he digs them into the ice and makes a sort of alpen-' 
stock of them. In addition, he employs them in his' 
search for food : by their means he tears off the seaweed' 
that clings to the rocks, and burrows in the sand with^ 
them after the molluscs that have taken up their abode' 
there. Finally, as a weapon of offence, they are as much' 
to be dreaded even on land as a buffalo's horns. 1 

To do him justice, though, the walrus is infinitely less 
pugnacious and ill-tempered than the seal. He is too 
mild, too phlegmatic, too lazy even, to be offensive for 
the most part. He has, however, two enemies to whom 
he can be merciless— the Polar bear, and the man who 
trespasses on what he regards as his territory. Of his 
readiness to hold his own against either of these, Captain 
Osborn, R.N., one of McClure's officers, gives us an 
account from personal observation. 

When a ship is " iced up " in the Arctic Ocean the sailors 
must needs employ their time somehow, and the most 
natural method of doing so is by going in search of game 
that will eke out their food-supply. Having hunted deer, 
musk-oxen, and Polar bears for pleasure or profit, the 
officers turned their attention to the wabus, and three 
or four of them, headed by Captain^ Osborn, set off in 

62 



I 



A WALRUS HUNT 

;bg-sledges to eastward, where they were most likely to 
|nd the sport they v/ished for. At one time they would 
jbt have had far to go. In the eighteenth century a few 
englishmen secured eight hundred walrus carcasses in six 
puTS ; but nowadays such a quantity would hardly be 
^iken in as many years by that number of men, for the 
'fiimals continue to push farther and farther towards 
i^^gions that are inaccessible even to the Eskimos. 

A long drive across the ice brought the hunters in sight 
I a range of rocks and ice-blocks, beyond which one or 
mo figures could plainly be seen moving. Within a 
puple of hundred yards of this they stopped to deliberate. 
!he brown figures in the distance were so well guarded 
^y the natural outworks that they had little to fear from 
uns, and, from all the travellers had heard, these were 
ot the sort of creatures to encourage an attack at close 
.uarters. At the same time, considering their compara- 
vely slow movements, it would be but sorry sport to 
.re at them from a distance. 

I While they were thus hesitating, two of the figures 
hich, since the explorers had been watching, had become 
Dationary now began to move, and in a moment a strange 
taring, like the bellowing of a bull multiphed by twenty - 
ve, arose from beyond the rocks. 

" Confound them ! they've seen us, and will be off to 
he water before we can get at them," said the Captain. 

Leaving the sledges to the care of a couple of sailors, 
he hunters started running as fast as they could towards 
he bastion of rock. Osborn was the first to reach it, 
nd, peering cautiously through the opening between 
Kvo rocks, started back in amazement, and waved to his 
Dllowers. 

63 



A WALRUS HUNT 

" You see why they were kicking up that noise," he sai( 
pointing through the opening. 

The astonished sportsmen drew back whisthng. Whf 
they had seen was a Polar bear trying to cut off a youn 
female walrus from escaping to a patch of unfrozen wate 
which, unknown to the travellers, lay only a shoi 
distance beyond the belt of rocks. The bear, untaughl 
by past experiences, had sought to surprise a large herJ 
that had been dozing a few yards from the water-hne. i 
rat might as well try to surprise a well-bred terrier, fo 
walruses have a most elaborate system of placing " watch 
men " at all points of their resting-place, and the cry o 
these is as well understood by the others as the warnin| 
report of a sentry's rifle would be by soldiers in camp. 

The little walrus-cow, seeing that escape was impossible 
set up a succession of plaintive howls, while the bear 
tired of dodging, prepared to make the blind rush at hei 
for which he is famous. Just then three old bull-walrusej 
raised their heads above water, and, from the edge of 
the ice, bellowed their defiance at the intruder. Mad- 
dened by hunger, the bear turned to seek the meal which 
lay nearest to him, and, forgetting the Httle cow, cleared 
the space between himself and the foremost bull in two 
strides. 

The ship's surgeon, who was one of the hunting-party, 
raised his gun, but the Captain stayed him. 

"Half a minute. Let's see what'll happen," he 
said. 

The old bull-walrus was no fool. While the bear's 
claws were still six inches away from his head, he dived. 
The bear, unable to pull himself up, fell headlong into 
the water, and in an instant his white coat was dyed with 

64 




A Bear and Walrus Fight 

The bear made a leap at one of the walruses, but missed and slid into the water He 
vas instantly attacked by the formidable tusks, which scored his sides to the depth of 
wo or three inches. ^ 



I A WALRUS HUNT 

jod, as the tusks of the next walrus scored his flank 
j) inches deep. Meanwhile the little cow hopped 
[vously to the water's edge, and made good her escape, 
k-oaring almost as loudly as the walruses themselves, 
i bear swam towards the bull that was approaching him, 
D, long before the two could meet, another pair of tusks 
p,ped the back of his neck for him. He turned his 
id and snapped like a crocodile, but the aggressor had 
t beyond his reach, and forty, if not fifty, walruses 
're snorting and bellowing round him before he could 
|ke up his mind what to do next ; and he was forced to 
'nit that he was no match for them. He accordingly 
ang on to the ice again, stood for a moment " looking 
atterable things " at his conquerors, and at last limped 
iay growling. 

' Let him go," said the Captain. " His coat's spoiled, 
i if we fire, all those cattle will swim away." 
The hunters waited till the bear had shambled off out 
sight, then crept stealthily forward, hoping to reach 
i5 edge of the water before their presence was perceived- 
To do this was not so difficult as might appear, for, 
dlant as he is on land, the walrus loses much of his 
ition as soon as he reaches his more natural element, 
ying, as he well may do, on his rapid swimming and 
;dy diving. Thus the Englishmen were within an 
5y stone's-throw before the beasts caught sight of 
em. Even when they did, they merely stared patron- 
Ingly at the new-comers, as though well aware that 
imunition is not so plentiful within the Arctic Circle 
at a sportsman can afford to waste it on game which, 
len killed, is un-get-at-able. 

" We've got no harpoons, and no bait to draw the 

65 E 



A WALRUS HUNT 

beggars with," said one of the lieutenants. " What ar 
we going to do ?" ( 

A hollow roar from behind them suggested an unlooked 
for solution of the problem. The astonished hunter 
turned their heads, and saw a very large buU-walru 
hopping along in their direction, making for either then 
or the water. Captain Osborn fired and wounded hin 
in the neck, but he still came on, even after a seconc 
bullet from the Captain and two from the doctor. Thit 
is the less surprising when we remember that, in additioi 
to his very thick skin, a walrus has an undercoat of fat 
from four to six inches thick. 

The animal thus persecuted, hurried, rather thai 
reduced, his speed, and the position threatened to become 
awkward. Of course, if the sportsmen chose to run, he 
could never catch them, and probably would not try, 
But this they were hardly disposed to do, though each 
man's meagre supply of cartridges might at this rate 
soon force him to rely on his gun-butt for protection. 
One of the lieutenants, who had a large-bore single- 
barrelled gun, fired, and caught the walrus between the 
eyes, shattering his skull. All the men ran forward to 
examine the dead beast, and were so taken up with trying 
to possess themselves of the tusks, that they thought no 
more of the hundreds— aye, thousands — of walruses which, 
springing apparently from nowhere, were swimming 
slowly round within gunshot. 

" Hullo ! what do you make of this. Captain ?" 
asked one of the hunters, suddenly raising his head and 
pointing towards the iceberg. 

Everybody turned to look, and burst out laughing at 
a sight that was too grotesque to be alarming. One old 

66 



A WALRUS HUNT 

jU, being of an inquisitive turn of mind, had crawled 
It of the water, and was lying just on the edge of the 
'j. A second, impelled by like curiosity, instead of 
agging his body side by side with his brother's, was 
'mding half out of the water and half in, butting and 
shing at the other beast's hind end, as much as to say, 
ij>Iake room for me." The first walrus was no doubt 
hd to this sort of thing, for, with a grunt, he hopped 
Ward a few feet, and the second beast took his place. 
it when a third imitated the second, and a fourth the 
'ird, the officers thought it was time to restrain their 
'irriment and profit by the unexpected chance which 
'rtune had sent them. 

rhe doctor led off, and put a bullet through the eye 
the foremost bull, which died without a groan, but in 
-rli a position that he formed an excellent rampart to 
h creature behind him. Seeing this, the Captain 
'iked toAvards the water-edge, hoping to get in a 
)adside shot at the second beast. This one, how- 
\r, had no intention of dying tamely like his brother. 
th a hoarse bellow, which was immediately taken up 
every one of his relations near or distant, till the very 
' seemed to be cracking with the thunderous noise, he 
]ned towards the little line of hunters which was being 
|med parallel to that line of which he was a unit, and, 
la greater rate than his enemies had deemed possible, 
!;an to move towards them. 

jjltill the men could see nothing especially alarming in 
1 3, though the third and fourth bulls were showing 
(is of a readiness to play at follow-my-leader. But 
l^r trying in vain to make his voice heard above the 
lioar, the first Ueutenant stretched out his arm and 
i 67 B 2 



A WALRUS HUNT 

touched the Captain's shoulder with his gunstock, a 
pointed in their rear. 

Things were getting beyond a joke. The same thiij 
was happening behind them as they had been laughii^ 
at in front of them a iew minutes earlier. A secorf 
cordon of walruses were landing, and were unmistakab^ 
prepared to avenge the death of their comrades. ^ 

The shooting-party had no desire to make a gener^ 
massacre of the animals. The sledges would not ho) 
more than a few stone of meat, and if each man carrie 
a pair of tusks and a few extra pounds of beef, he woul 
have a burden quite heavy enough. But, then, wou) 
the walruses stand by passively and see the tusks remove( 
or a carcass quartered ? Even a skilled sealer requir(^ 
a good deal of time and a good deal of hot water befoi 
he can detach a pair of tusks ; and here was not a momeii 
of time to spare, and not a drop of hot water, excep 
metaphorically, and in that sense a promise of rather to 
much. 

" Let's draw off a bit," shouted the Captain, makinj 
a speaking-trumpet of his hand, and setting the exampl 
by taking half a dozen steps farther away from the watei 
The others followed him, and not a moment too soon 
for the leading bull of the second cordon was heading hi 
followers to meet those animals that had abeady ex 
pressed their intention of intercepting the enemy. Reach- 
ing a safer spot, they now opened fire again, and two 
more walruses fell dead, while two others were wounded. 

" We mustn't waste any more cartridges," said the 
Captain ruefully. "We'll get back a bit more, and 
perhaps they'll clear off and allow us to get what we 
came for." 

68 



I A WALRUS HUNT 

iJThe officers retreated again, reloaded their guns, and, 

^t daring to stand still in such intense cold, were forced 
jump about or run up and down. Meanwhile the 

alruses, knowing instinctively that they could not catch 
^leir brethren's murderers, and might themselves be in 
I dinger if they ventured too far from the water, stopped 

ijbere they were, glaring savagely at the hunters, and 

IJ,tering occasional roars. 
d! In this way an hour went by with nothing to show for 
)|t, for the hunters were not allowed to approach even the 
itst walrus that had been killed so far from the water ; 
jlhenever anyone attempted to do so, the bellowing 
Increased, and the animals that had landed began to 
vake a move towards them. At last all lost patience. 
SJ " We can't stand here all night to be made fools of," 
iliid Osborn. "Come on, doctor; cut this fellow's tusks 
mt, and we'll stand by you to keep the others off." 
ji A general move was made towards the first of the slain, 
md this time the guardians of the dead offered no resist- 
toce. The skull being so shattered, the removal of the 
,rst pair of tusks was not such a very lengthy matter, 
jnd as one of the sailors who were waiting with the sledges 
[ad an axe, he was soon signalled to and a portion of 
jhe meat hacked off. Then came the task of securing 
jhe second pair of tusks ; but no sooner did the ivory- 
eekers approach the next carcass than two walruses 
noved towards them. 

" Go on ; don't take any notice of them," said the 
vaptain, interposing himself between the surgeon and the 
learer walrus. 

" Back !" shouted the doctor, springing to his feet 
uddenly. " The ice is going." 

69 



A WALRUS HUNT 

It was true. Without an instant's warning, an icll 
hummock that is washed by the sea will sometime 
dislodge itself, and woe betide man or bear that happen 
to be on it, and unable to reach the main block. Happily 
the cleft was but a yard or two to landward of the walruf 
on which the doctor was about to operate ; and thougl 
there was not time to save the carcass, all had ampli 
opportunity to spring back on to the firm ice where la^, 
the only pair of tusks that, this time, they were to be 
fortunate enough to secure. 



70 



CHAPTER VI 

IJADVENTURES AMONG THE SMALLER WILD BEASTS OF 
ll THE NORTH 

ux, lynx, sable, wolverene, and racoon. — The Arctic fox. — Partridge- 
j shooting under difficulties. — A clever mimic. — The change of coat. 
! — The white fox as a burglar. — A fox-hunter's narrow escape. — 
Is Mr. Lord's account of the Canadian lynx. — Ljmx-coursing. — An 
unpleasant situation. — Kilhng the lynx. — Mr. Lord as a sable- 
trapper. — Character of the weasel family. — How to trap a sable. — 
'; The trapper's worst foe — the wolverene. — A gluttonous and 
(' knavish beast. — Caught in the act. — Another peculiarity of the 
j wolverene. — The 'coon. — His virtues and vices. — M. Audubon's 
'' accoimt of a 'coon hunt. 

F the small wild animals of the North, the best known 
id the most interesting are the fox, lynx, sable, wolverene, 
id racoon. 

It is to be feared that the fox of the Far North has 
D higher moral sense than the little animal which exas. 
3rates the poultry-farmer and delights the huntsman 
5re at home. In innate cunning and cleverness he 
robably excels him. 

The two commonest varieties are the silver fox of Canada 
id the Northern States, and the white, blue, or Arctic 
>x of the Polar Regions. The latter is the smallest and 
L'obably the most extraordinary of his tribe. To begin 
ith, he possesses the merit of being without the offensive 

71 



ADVENTURES AMONG THE SMALLEI 

smell that characterizes all other foxes. His mo' 
interesting feature, however, is his habit of changing hi 
bluish, dirty-looking summer coat for another that i 
whitish, and often pure white, as winter comes on 
This change is not effected all at once ; there is a transi. 
tion stage to be gone through, and this accounts fo. 
Mr. Peter Dobell's statement that in Kamchatka he meil 
with some Uttle piebald foxes. Mr. Dobell goes on to tel 
us something of the behaviour of the httle creature during 
summer and autumn. ^ 

He was one day shooting in a fir-wood, and having 
secured one or two partridge-hke birds distinguished b| 
their pecuhar cry, he pressed on, hoping from the fre-i 
quency of the cries in the distance to get a good bagi 
The trees were not so thick as seriously to obstruct his 
view ; yet, though he looked on all sides of him, he coulc 
not see a single bird of any sort. At last the cries soundec 
quite close to him, not more than a few yards ahead, anc 
on the ground. He stopped and shouted three or foui 
times, hoping to start the birds, but nothing moved 
though for a moment the bird notes ceased. He then 
crept behind a tree and waited patiently for a solution 
of the mystery. After a few minutes the unexplained 
calhng began again, and this time it was accompanied 
by a rusthng of twigs and pine-needles. Dobell peeped 
round the tree-trunk, and, to his utter amazement, saw a 
sharp muzzle and two very bright eyes peering up out of 
a hole m the earth. In Kamchatka it is not considered 
by any means a social sin to shoot a fox, and the sports- 
man made no ceremony about sending a charge of shot 
at this one ; and the httle animal, caught unawares 
dropped dead with half his head protruding from his earth 

72 



]| WILD BEASTS OF THE NORTH 

ijSimultaneously with the gun-report there was a 
Utthng and shuffling, and at least twenty different 
|ads, which Dobell had not noticed before, disappeared 
tto their several burrows. 

iiAmong his other accompHshments, this fox includes the 
iDst marvellous power of imitating, to the life, the cry of 
lie birds on which he feeds, as long as the weather allows 
Im to do so. And it often happens that a fox-colony 
)br they generally congregate to the number of twenty 
thirty families) will between them secure a score of 
Srds in less than half an hour by this manoeuvre. This 
I, of course, especially the case in the spring, when the 
rds are pairing. 

By winter time the coat of these foxes has become 
mass of downy white fur, so valuable commercially 
iiat the days of the whole tribe may be said to be num- 
sred. This winter coat is believed to be absolutely 
apervious to cold ; but the poor Httle creatures, though 
lature has been kind to them as regards raiment, are 
jard put to it for food during the awful Arctic or sub- 
rctic winter. 

Here all their cleverness is needed, and many a white 
•X gets a good meal where a less keen-scented or less 
|.teUigent animal would starve. Sealers, whalers, and 
I alrus-hunters say that he will sniff out a ship from 
|dles away, and lurk round it hke a jackal, for the sake 
[ a meal of seal-meat or offal. 

Arctic explorers have sometimes found these foxes 
ery troublesome neighbours. The carpenter of Cap- 
lin Osborn's ship, and the boatswain mentioned in 
hapter III., obtained leave for a three-days' hunting 
scursion, and, having reached a favourable spot for en- 

73 



ADVENTURES AMONG THE SINIALLEB* 

camping, built a rough temporary hut in which to sleeji 
and deposit their few stores. When they returned on th(i 
second evening, they found that the ill-secured door hac 
been forced open, and both men stood hesitating, foi 
more than one hunter in these parts has found a Polar 
bear in waiting to receive him. No sound whatevei 
issued from the hut, and at last they entered. It was 
empty— in more than one sense. No unauthorized person 
was there, but something or somebody had made awaj 
with the cold meat which they had left, had demolishec 
a leather game-bag, sundry straps, and a good half of the 
bearskin rug which formed their bed. 

At first they were inclined to attribute this misde- 
meanour to the wolves, but the old boatswain, who was 
somewhat learned in " tracks," soon proved that much 
smaller animals were the guilty ones, and both vowed 
they would take vengeance on the morrow. 

Early in the morning, while his mate was still sleeping,! 
the carpenter, Whitfield by name, heard outside the hutj 
a little dry bark, very different from the sound that one 
associates with woK or bear. Like prudent old sailors, 
the two men had been dividing the " watch," and Whit- 
field had not the heart to wake the boatswain, who had 
not long lain down. He therefore stole out with his 
gun, hoping to catch the offender. This turned out to 
be an Arctic fox, which, at sight of the carpenter, sped 
over the snow like lightning, long before aim could be 
taken at him. Whitfield soon had a chance to notice 
the tracks of the previous night, and, on comparing 
them with those of the animal which had just fled, saw 
that, beyond a doubt, it was a small company of foxes 
that had made free with their property during their 

74 



\¥ILD BEASTS OF THE NORTH 

['isence. These tracks he forthwith followed up, walking 
It and on without paying much attention to either route 

distance. 

When the old boatswain awoke later and found himself 
[pne, he waited half an hour for his mate's return, and 

the end of that time started to follow his footprints. 
ifter walking swiftly for about three miles, he came upon 
Ikne big splashes of blood and bits of white fur, which 
toted to the fact that Whitfield had made at least one 
11. He walked on a little farther, and, near a rock, 
teked up a dead fox. In looking about for its owner, 

found, to his horror, that Whitfield was sitting with 
s back to the rock, having fallen a prey to the horrible 
Id stupor that is the Polar traveller's worst foe. For- 
nately the boatswain arrived before it was too late, 
.d soon succeeded in restoring the unfortunate man to 
nsciousness. 

The carpenter had come upon a fox unawares, had shot 
m, and on reaching the rock, had stood still for some 
tne to examine the body, and thus had been overcome 
•^ a sleep that would have been his last, but for the 
oportune arrival of the boatswain. 

The North is not quite, though very nearly, destitute 
I representatives of the cat tribe. Here and there a 
!W mountain cats are to be found, while Canada, Scan- 
jnavia, and Siberia have one or other of the varieties of 
U lynx family. These latter, with the exception of the 
xnadian lynx, do not specially differ from those found 
Central Europe or Asia, and the food, habits, and 
veilings of all are practically the same. 
I Take him all round, the lynx is the least troublesome 
\ 75 



ADVENTURES AMONG THE SMALLEj 

of any of the larger cats. Men and cattle are safe fro 
him, and it is but rarely that he will so far forget himse 
as to kiU a lamb for the sake of sucking its blood Hj 
favourite food consists of rabbits, hares, and birds ar„ 
these no sensible agriculturist would grudge him. Bx, 
of late his skin has become marketable, having foun 
favour in the eyes of the furrier. Also his flesh ofte. 
forms a meal for the Canadian trapper, the North Eurc! 
pean farmer, and the Siberian savage. 

John Keast Lord describes the lynx of Canada u, 
an awkward, short-legged, stumpy-tailed animal abou 
three feet in length. Among the trappers he is knowr 
as le loup cervier, or simply le chat. Mr. Lord, whil(, 
leading the hfe of a trapper, often had occasion to hunt 
the lynx, and once or twice succeeded in taking one ahvei 
At first he tried setting traps for him, but these were a deai 
failure; for, despite his awkwardness, the lynx is boti i 
agile and light of foot, and in every instance he succeedec 
in smelhng out and avoiding the trap, and in some cases 
actually ran away with the bait. . 

On one occasion Lord followed the track of a lynx that 
had thus piled insult on injury, accompanied by a half- 
wild Indian dog. On the edge of a clearing they came 
suddenly upon the animal peacefully enjoying a bird 
which he had captured. Suddenly he smelt the dogi 
and, with one quick glance behind, bounded across thj 
clearing. "Bounded" expresses hterally the lynx's 
method of covering the ground; for when pursued hei 
curves his back Hke an angry cat, tucks his little legs 
under him, and makes a spring, seeming to fall with all 
tour feet in a bunch ; and no sooner does he touch the 
earth than he is up and forward again hke a bouncing 

76 



J 



i WILD BEASTS OF THE NORTH 

il But in this case he had not sufficient start, and 
li' not the sense to double among the trees again, so 
U in a minute the dog had headed him off. The lynx 
,ing himself stopped, sprang backwards, spittmg and 
krhng Hke a tormented tabby, while the dog stood 
ith feet and legs stretched out, barking savagely, but 
It seeming to care about the task of seizing an ammal 

big as himself . 

JLord had no such scruples. He was a powerful man as 
i3ll as an experienced " vet," and running as fast as his 
k would carry him, he had come within six feet of the 
ksoner before the latter seemed aware of his presence, 
laddenly turning his head, the lynx caught sight of him, 
lad either actually with the intention of flying at him, 
'.^ else because he thought he stood more chance of getting 
i^st the man than the dog, he appeared to make a pivot 
!f his four feet, and, swinging round on this, gave a leap 
itiat landed his nose against the trapper's shins. The 
iog, no doubt a well-meaning beast, jumped almost 
'imiiltaneously in the same direction, and man and dog 
bd lynx tumbled one over the other, and " m wild 
■onfusion mingled there." 

• A burning sensation in one of his hands told Lord that 
ihe lynx had not escaped, for the claws of one of the 
Least's feet were embedded in his flesh. To let an ill- 
irained dog kill an animal whose skin is valuable is 
iorobably to ruin that skin. Not losing his presence 
bf mind, the hunter hissed off the dog, and, without 
teing from his knees, clenched the fist that was free, 

and delivered a "knock-out" blow on the head of 
!the loup cervier which stunned him, if it did not kiU him 

loutright. 

77 



ADVENTURES AMONG THE SMALLE ! 

hat of the sable, a little animal of the weasel tribe . 

II JT , ' ':, "'°''''' *^ 8'""°" °^ -"'serene. N. 

marten '"I "" °'''" °' "^'^ °™ ^'^ -11 -«->^ -",■ 
marten, mmk, or any of the family ; but any reader wh' 

lie tri : 1;:.'° "'"^ ''"""' °^ ^'-'^ 1^-- that th 
Im attao^ I fr ''*' '''°°'l-*-«ty little animals tha" 
will attack or kill for the love of shedding blood. And sJ 
they somefames force on a quarrel with a beast wh^h i 
more than a match for them. ( 

of T' ™' r.' ^°^ *'° "^<' '^'' ^ith the sables. On. 
of them, on ben>g disturbed by an inquisitive lynx, would 

abll t'/ ' "■""" "^'"^ '''^*' '-tead of'^nd^Lg rf 

ouenH *f !''P''°*l'ture of powder, Lord would not infre- 
quently find a very much damaged lynx limping alon 
ha dead from loss of blood, and, not far away, a manglei 
httle corpse, whose fur, instead of being worth a five 
pound note, was almost unrecognizable 

To trap the sable was not particularly difficult but 
o do so wthout injuring his skin or else, oSering a mca 
to the first wolverene that chanced to come alfng was^ 

to foCTheT'"- ^^ ^ ""''■ '"'"' '™"<^ '' ---y 

huLtraufzriet ttr;^""^ °^ ^"™'"« "^' 
;n« um out.^> ButtCtr:rrs7:';r?::;- 

nrs:of~"^^"'--''^--'-~^arun:i:^ 

i 



j WILD BEASTS OF THE NORTH 

towards the wolverene Lord soon learned that he 
jild not afford to be merciful. This is a dark-coated 
^st, about three feet long, and seems to be a connecting 
t between the weasels and the bears ; at all events, it 
issesses the objectionable quahties of both these famiUes, 
Id is a scourge to the trapper and the farmer. It is 
|(d that the wolverene sometimes makes a meal for a 
|ar ; if so, it only gets its deserts. 

iLike many another trapper before and since, Lord 
jiind that this annoying beast would follow him unseen 
jiile he was setting his traps, and, as often as not, when 
f came to inspect, more than half of them had been 
jared. Sometimes, in a hne of traps extending for five 
I lies, not a single sable or marten or fox was to be found, 
>ough in almost every case the trap had certainly been 
panted. Strangely enough, when poisoned meat was 
'h lying about to attract the wolverene's attention, 
I was almost always found untouched. 
JThe animals thus taken from the gins were not all 
ibvoured, though the " glutton " has not gained his name 
ideservedly, for in captivity he will eat four pounds of 
;eat at a meal, and many have been known to account 
r twelve and thirteen pounds a day. Generally the spare 
liod was put by against a rainy day, and once or twice 
r. Lord was fortunate enough to discover the private 
Dard of one of these pests. 

But the wolverenes were not content to steal and hide 
ist the contents of the traps. Often Lord found that 
Dusehold utensils from his hut were missing. Once he 
•st a tobacco-pouch and a powder-flask ; another time 
, couple of tin mugs disappeared from outside his hut. 
ine of the latter he found weeks afterwards, buried under 

79 



ADVENTURES AMONG THE SMALLERI 

some dead sticks. For no jackdaw, whether of Rheimij 
or elsewhere, can be a more mischievous thief than thd 
glutton. 

Perhaps Mr. Lord's most interesting and amusing^ 
experience with this beast was when, while one day in 
specting his traps, he came suddenly within sight of a,j 
glutton busily engaged in dragging a small silver fox out] 
of a gin. The thief's back was turned to him, and the-j 
wind happened to be blowing towards the trapper, so that! 
he got very nearly within fifty paces before the sound o^ 
his footsteps betrayed him. 

As Lord raised his gun the animal turned round and/ 
stared inquisitively at him, deliberately shading his eyes, 
with one of his fore-paws ; and this yielding to curiosity 
cost him his life. 

Another animal which also may be said to be related f 
to both bear and weasel, though infinitely less objection- 
able, is the racoon. He is not exclusively a Northern 
animal, for even the Northern racoon is found as far South 
as the Gulf of Mexico, though perhaps he is seen at his 
best in Alaska and Canada. In size he is a trifle smaller 
than the common fox ; his prevailing colour is grey-brown, 
and a pecuhar black marking round the eyes and nose 
gives liim a distinctly disreputable, prize-fighting appear- 
ance. His tail is rather handsome, being bushy, and , 
striped alternately black and grey. He is playful, lazy, '■ 
and a first-class hand at opening oysters. These he bites j 
through at the hinge, and finishes the operation with his 
hind-claws. He is, moreover, remarkably cleanly in his 
habits, and, either from cleanHness or perpetual thirst, 
washes all his food in water whenever circumstances . 

80 



f WILD BEASTS OF THE NORTH 

low ; indeed, the German word for racoon is Wasckbdr 
!' washing bear "). 

j If he has a vice apart from a certain amount of vin- 
'lictiveness, it is a very pronounced Hking for intoxicating 
jrink, and there is no surer way of taming a 'coon than 
y offering him rum or sweet wine. 

,i M. Audubon, the celebrated scientist, has given a 
'''aphic description of the hunting of one of these creatures 
'jhich he witnessed. Such hunts are carried on at night, 
tr during the day the animal is generally to be found 
).st asleep, coiled up in a tree. This particular animal 
las out on his night search for food when he was aware 
t a crowd of men and dogs pursuing him. One of the 
en carried a torch, by the light of which they could 
»llow the dogs, which had lost no time in getting on the 
pent of the animal. 

' The 'coon vanished, and so very soon did the dogs, 
iiough their angry baying soon betrayed their where- 
3 outs. Guided by the noise the dogs were making, the 
Dortsmen hurried on, and at last found the whole pack 
irking madly round the foot of a tree. 
Sticks and chips were soon gathered, and in a few 
inutes a roaring fire was blazing under the tree. By 
5 light a negro swarmed up, and discovered the 'coon's 
hereabouts, from which he speedily dislodged him. 
rightened and furious, the poor beast sprang down from 
e tree, and, before the dogs could get at him, was off 
;ain at top speed, and once more beyond sight of the 
inters. Following, as before, the barking of the hounds, 
udubon and his companions at last came to a second 
op. This time, instead of taking to a tree, the coon had 
ught refuge in a shallow pool, where, half standing, half 

81 F 



WILD BEASTS OF THE NORTH 

swimming, he was pluckily awaiting the combinei 
onslaught of the dogs. These did not allow for th 
extreme flexibility of body which the animal possesses 
Anyone who has seen a badger baited will understanc 
how it is that a racoon is no sooner seized by the back o 
the neck than his teeth are in the ear or throat of the do^ 
that has taken that liberty. 

The same sort of thing happened on this occasion. Om 
dog caught him by the haunches, another by the tail, anc 
a third by the neck ; but one and all were glad enough t( 
leave go again, and to fall away yelping with pain. Bu 
even a 'coon cannot bite twenty dogs at once, and by tht' 
time his teeth were firmly engaged on one of them, th( 
rest bore him down, and one of the hunters put him ou' 
of his misery with a blow on the head. 



82 



CHAPTER VII 

SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

k link between sheep and cattle. — The home of the musk-ox. — Propor- 
jj tion of males to females. — Behaviour towards man. — Adventure 
1 of Lieutenant Cresswell, R.N. — Oxen that climb like goats. — 
J Stalking the game. — A slippery hill-path. — Death of the first bull. 

— Pursued by the second bull. — A rocky descent. — Hemmed in. — 

A narrow escape. — Sir James Ross as a hunter. — Tracking the ox. 

— The ox baited by dogs and arrows. — Taking shelter behind a 
' rock. — Cool pluck of Commander Ross. — Poo-yet-tah's novel 

method of slaying a musk-ox. 

I 

The musk-ox is considered by most people to be a link 

between sheep and oxen, and his appearance is certainly 
n favour of that theory. His legs are considerably 
thorter than those of our domestic cattle, and his body 
s covered with a perfect mat of long, woolly hair, so that 
it a distance he might reasonably be taken for an enor- 
mous English ram. His hair is of a rich brown colour, 
[ind his horns, the roots of which are joined in the centre 
i)f the forehead, sweep gracefully downwards, almost as 
ow as the under side of his neck, then give a sudden 
look-Uke curve upwards again. In general demeanour 
ae is mild, even stupid, looking, and does not at all seem 
bear out the character for viciousness that Arctic 
explorers one and all have given him. 
! 83 F 2 



SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

Nowadays he is seldom found far from the barren 
lands of quasi-Arctic Canada or the ice-fields of Green-* 
land, though at one time he was distributed over the 
greater part, if not the whole, of the Polar Regions. Hie 
name arises, of course, from the peculiar musk odour that: 
clings to him, and that more or less taints his flesh — some-i 
times to such a degree that to civilized man the taste isi 
unendurable. 

More often than not these strange-looking cattle live 
in small herds, sometimes of not more than twenty in- 
dividuals, and never more than a hundred ; and in these 
herds the proportion of bulls to cows is rarely greater 
than one to ten. This latter fact confirms what many 
Arctic travellers have observed for themselves, or beeii 
told by the Eskimos — that at the commencement of the 
breeding season the bulls are so ferocious, as well as deter 
mined to possess as large a harem as possible, that they 
attack each other without mercy ; and so prolonged and 
uncompromising are these conflicts, that only the strongest 
bulls ever survive them. 

Their attitude towards man is, as usual, one of fear, 
and if they do not immediately flee at his approach (and 
they generally do), it is less from courage than froni 
ingrained dullness of apprehension. At the same time, 
they are among the very few wild beasts that show no 
terror at powder and shot, for the reason, zoologists say, 
that the flash and the report are considered by them as 
purely natural phenomena, like thunder and lightning. 
When at last it dawns upon their slow intelligence that 
the noisy two-legged animal that is pursuing them wants 
to hurt them, then they will turn on him quickly enough, 
exhibiting all the fury and strength of the bison, coupled 

83 



SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

jkith the speed, activity, and sureness of foot of the 
jjiountain-goat. This, at least, was the opinion, founded 
personal experience, of Lieutenant Cress well, one of 
i'jir Robert McClure's officers. 

j The Lieutenant had strayed away from a hunting-party 
liade up of some of the ship's officers, and seeing from 
i distance what he thought to be a herd of some peculiar 
land of goat, he proceeded at a brisk pace towards the 
^pot. At closer quarters he soon discovered his mistake, 
lor, though these were the first musk-oxen he had yet met 
'i^l^ith., he easily recognized them from the descriptions 
fe had heard. Creeping along with greater care than was 
jieally necessary, he had arrived within tolerably easy 
i;unshot, when, to his chagrin, the whole herd, consisting 
)!»f three bulls and about five-and-twenty cows, began to 
liaove on at a quick walk towards a group of barren hills, 
pw, but dotted here and there with ugly overhanging 
l^ags, and seamed with narrow, slippery paths that 
•jenerations of musk-oxen had worn with their hoofs. 
I Not to be outdone, Cress well quickened his pace to a 
un, and by the time the herd had reached the higher 
;round, he found himself at the foot of a gently sloping 
!)ath, up which he could walk without much difficulty, 
ji'lodding impatiently up, he at length reached the sum- 
mit, only to find that the animals were nowhere to be 
Keen. He paused for breath, and was examining the 
[oading of his gun, when a gentle lowing ahead made him 
press forward across a cup-like hollow to a second ridge, 
isqual in height to the one which he had just chmbed. 
Clambering up on his hands and knees — for here the 
ground was too slippery to allow of ordinary walking — he 
tvas at last able to peer over the far ridge. Then he gave 

85 



SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

a gcasp of astonished satisfaction. The herd, following) 
some other path as yet unknown to him, had been making 
for the lower ground beyond the hills, and now hadjj 
broken up into small parties of five and six, one of which " 
was grazing on the slope beneath, not twenty yards away 
from him. 

Ignorant of their climbing capacities, he deemed himself |] 
quite safe from any reprisals on their part, and, knowing i 
that one or two shots from his gun would soon bring i 
either one of his fellow-hunters or one of the men from 
the ship, who would help him against odds or to carry ' 
home the game, he took careful aim at the only bull of ' 
the little group and fired. The ball took the animal in 
the chest, and he fell forward, then rolled down the slope, 
at the foot of which he lay motionless. 

The Lieutenant reloaded, and then saw that the cows — ' 
distinguishable by their horns being wider apart and less 
curved — had made a stampede down the hill after their 
prostrate lord. Having made a brief inspection of the 
carcass, they wheeled away to the left, and were imme- 
diately lost behind a projecting hill-side. 

Seeing himself now alone with the bull, Cresswell began 
carefully to descend the icy slope, preparatory to ex- 
amining and skinning his prize. But easy as the descent 
had seemed to be, he soon found that, unless he was 
prepared to toboggan down to the bottom, and probably 
land there with a broken leg, he must abandon the slope 
in favour of the step-like ledges and crags of rock to his 
left — a longer, but indisputably safer, mode of descent. 
Following this plan — a proceeding to which, in the end, 
he owed his life — he had come within twelve or fourteen 
feet of the level, when there sounded a scraping, scuttling 

86 



SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

/bise some distance above his head. Expecting to see 
|iie of the sailors who had been attracted by his gun, he 
[aused on the brink of a little stone platform and looked 

fp leisurely. And there, surefooted as a wild ass, he 
a,w coming towards him at a smart, regular trot another 
|)f the bulls, own brother, in point of size, to the one he 
!|iad just shot. There could be no two opinions as to 
jU^hether the animal meant mischief : a column of vapour 
[gushed Uke a puff of smoke from each nostril ; the head, 
QGaturally lower than the rest of the body while on the 
^islope, now almost touched the ground, while the body 
iliappeared to distend visibly as the long hairs quivered 
.and bristled with rage, and the eyes looked hke two spots 
of flame. The Lieutenant had seen an enraged bull in his 
own country, and, though smaller, this animal most un- 
. pleasantly reminded him of a brute which he had seen 
: kill three big dogs in two minutes. Happily for his own 
peace of mind, Cresswell still had but Uttle knowledge 
of the immense activity of the musk-ox, and, confident 
that a spring across a Uttle chasm on his left hand, on 
to a broader ledge, would put him out of reach of the bull, 
he leapt lightly over it. 

The ox was not coming so swiftly but that he could 
check himself, and, seeing the man's manoeuvre, he made 
no to-do about jumping sideways across a similar chasm 
higher up. Certainly this brought him only inappreciably 
nearer to the object of his pursuit, but it estabhshed the 
fact that Cresswell could not hope to beat him as a moun- 
taineer. Moreover, the bull had now only to jump a 
second chasm to be in a direct line with the fugitive. 

There was no time for further hesitation, for now a 
bare ten yards separated the two, and, bringing his gun 

87 



SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

to the shoulder, the Lieutenant fired. The bullet caught 
the animal somewhere in the fore-quarter, but it did not 
affect his pace, though Cresswell could swear that the 
woolly coat was dyed with blood. He jerked out the 
spent cartridge and slipped another in its place, and this 
time aimed for the animal's right eye. Usually the Lieu" i^ 
tenant was an excellent shot, but on this occasion there j 
was certainly an error of judgment, for the ball struck i 
the thick ridge of horn that stretched like a frontlet across 
the beast's head, and, beyond splintering the tough 
substance and causing the bull to half stop and scowl at 
the shooter, it had little effect. 

There was yet time to reload, but as Cresswell was 
about to take aim, the ox seemed to lash himseK into 
sudden fury, and came blundering downhill till he was 
level with the hunter, and only the narrow cleft separated 
them. 

There was just this one point — an important one, too 
— in the Lieutenant's favour : the bull had no room to 
turn, and could only jump sideways, and, on landing on 
the opposite ledge, the worst he could do, not being able 
to bring head or feet into play, would be to crush the 
hunter with his body against the upright face of the rocks 
to which he was backing. 

Snorting and bellowing, the animal made a vicious 
sideward jerk with his head at the enemy, but could not 
reach him in that manner, and, before he could withdraw 
it again, the quick-witted sailor had brought his gun- 
muzzle to the level of the animal's eye and fired, this 
time with such effect that only by a spring to one side 
could he prevent the carcass from falling on him. At 
the same moment a shrill whistle came from the top of 



i SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

I'b ridge, and, looking up, Cresswell saw that at last his 
pts had attracted notice, for two of his brother-officers 
ijsre gaily waving their rifles in congratulation of his 
:t3ky escape. 

On the level the musk-ox can be just as formidable an 
■gallant as on the hills, as an adventure which chanced 

a far better known Arctic explorer, Sir James Ross, 
.11 show. 

ijSir James (then Commander) Ross, while frost-bound 
iji the ice-deserts of Boothia, was out on a foraging 
'tpedition, accompanied by one Poo-yet-tah, a clever 
l-tle Eskimo hunter, who was famed for his shrewdness 
!| tracking the musk-ox. It was not long before they 
(iscovered the footprints of one of these animals, and 
)hen they had followed the trail scrupulously for an hour 
r so, they all at once came upon newer hoof-marks — 
liose of an ox that could only have passed along a few 
Durs earlier. Immediately they let loose the dogs 
'hich they had brought with them, and these set off so 
dskly that they were soon out of sight. For several 
ours the two men followed the footprints across the 
ireary, rugged waste, and at last, when they were almost 
;ady to drop from fatigue, they heard from the far side 
if a belt of rocks the excited barking of the dogs. 

Forgetful now of weariness or hunger, Ross ran forward, 
ccompanied and easily outstripped by the Eskimo, to 
ae spot where a bull of unusual size was being held at 
lay. As soon as he was within bow-shot, Poo-yet-tah 
Bnt an arrow at the animal, which struck, but did not 
ierce, his ribs ; and the lordly creature, quite unaffected 
y it, continued his fruitless attempts at ridding himself 
if his four-legged persecutors — fruitless because, in 

89 



SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

whatever direction he turned, the dogs fastened th; 
teeth in his hind-legs, and when, harried beyond endurant 
he shook them off and rounded on them, they had dodgt 
round to his heels once more, long before he could stril 
at them with his horns. 

Meanwhile Poo-yet-tah patiently continued to sho 
his arrows, hitting the musk-ox every time, but n 
severely enough to attract his attention, insomuch th;j 
Ross, who had now come up with his companion, wo 
dered how the little man could ever have killed the numbi^ 
of bulls of which he boasted. Seeing the officer no| 
present his gun, the Eskimo ceased shooting, and waitei 
trembhngly to see what would happen. ' 

At fifteen yards the Captain gave the bull both barrel^ 
Both shots struck him. The animal stopped, swervec^ 
and then fell— but only for a moment ; the next he wa! 
on his feet again, and making for his new foe, who haji 
but bare time to dodge behind a conveniently adjaceni 
rock. He came thundering on across the hard-froze! 
snow, head down and nostrils dilated, and charged a 
the rock so violently that the concussion sent him back 
wards to the ground with a thud that could have beeij 
heard several yards away. 

Poo-yet-tah leapt forward, knife in hand, but was sooi' 
glad to seek shelter again behind the dogs, for, after s 
moment's breathing space, the ox was on his feet again 
streaming with blood and foam, and butting wildly in 
every direction. ' 

By this time Ross had reloaded his gun under cover 
of the rock, and now came forward, endeavouring to get 
a more certain aim, which endeavour the dogs seemed 
bent on balking. Leaving them to take their chance 

90 




The Musk-Ox 

Ross had reloaded his gun under cover of the rock, and endeavoured to get a shot 
at the ox, but was continually balked by the dogs. 



I SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

|being shot, he was at last on the point of firing, when 
J! bull, turning, caught sight of him, and reahzing that 
iwas the most formidable of his foes, scattered the dogs 
;all directions, and with renewed vigour charged at the 
immander. 

And this time there was no kindly rock at hand, should 
,3 gun fail to do its work. With his finger on the 
gger Ross awaited, with all the calmness which the 
luation allowed him, the nearer approach of the in- 
tiated ox, whose every stride was a step nearer to 
lath for one of the two. Then, at five yards, he fired 
■th barrels, and the bull dropped, his heart pierced and 
le shoulder knocked to splinters. 

HaK mad with joy and excitement, Poo-yet-tah threw 
mself on the carcass, scarcely able to beheve his eyes 

sight of the bullet-holes and the broken shoulder, for 
^ had never till this day seen a gun fired. But there was 
n time to spare for admiration of the white man's skill, 
arely stopping to quench his thirst with a mixture of 
Lood and melted snow, the native set himself to skin 
id quarter the body ; for in those latitudes shortly 
Iter death skin, muscle, bones, and bloodvessels all 
3Come one hard, impenetrable mass. After packing up 
15 much of the beef as they could carry, the two men 
luilt a snow-hut over the remainder, and then hurried 
ack in search of the companions whom Ross had left 
JDme miles behind. And that night all made a hearty 
jieal of musk-ox beef, which at that season of the year 
^as free from all objectionable taint. 

Poo-yet-tah's passion for hunting was now thoroughly 
.oused, and the next morning, before anyone else was 
itirring, he was off on the track of another ox. Late in 
I ° 91 



SHOOTING THE MUSK-OX 

the afternoon he returned, bearing with him as mucl 

beef as one man could possibly carry ; and Ross, afti 

his experience of the previous day, was not unnaturalt 

curious as to how the httle man could have killed one d 

these powerful beasts with the miserable weapons at h| 

command. " 

The Eskimo had, following the custom of his people' 

pursued the beast and driven it on before him by keeping 

the dogs in leash, and encouraging them to bark then 

loudest. Steadily watching for, and taking advantage^ 

of every accident of ground or position, Poo-yet-tah 

had patiently kept on the heels of the ox, and had at 

last succeeded in driving him down a precipice, just as 

the African jackal kills the antelope or deer which he is 

pursuing. This is only another of the many instances 

that can be quoted of savage man's ingenuity in deahng 

with those animals which are too powerful to be met by 

his unaided strength, or by the rude weapons which 

represent his highest notion of mechanical art. 



92 



i 



|! CHAPTER VIII 

I LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

II 

:ie cat tribe.— The Hon.— His character.— The stock-breeder s enemy. 

j —The lion of North Africa.— Adventures of the Richardson expe- 

' dition.— A Uon-trap that did not work.— Another that did.— The 

Asiatic and Nubian Hon.- Dr. Werne's Nile expedition.— Pursuing 

a hon on mule-back.— Gallantry of a young sheikh.— Another hon- 

trap.— Terrible experience of an Arab servant.— Pursumg the cul- 

prit.—Off the track.— Werne cornered by a lion.— A bad shot.— 

p The doctor's life saved by his servant.— Mr. Steedman's adven- 

;' tures in the South African wilds.— A leonine epicure.— A herd of 

! springbok " held up " by a hon.— Sudden attack by a honess.— An 

\ unloaded gun.— Pinned down by a Honess.- Scaring off the enemy. 

ilTHBRTO we have had little opportunity of discussing 
Ud beasts of the cat tribe, for these— with perhaps the 
'.ception of a few mountain cats— are rarely found in 
le Northern Hemisphere. Such animals usuaUy prefer 

warmer climate. Even the domestic tabby likes the 
fin better than the shade, and the hearthrug better 
lan any other quarter of the room. The members of 
ilais family, whether lion or lynx, tiger or tortoiseshell, 
I be nearly all alike in their main characteristics— the 
bihty to see in the dark, the possession of hooked and 
Ltractile claws, and an inordinate appetite for flesh 
leat. 

In muscular strength and beauty of outline the hon 

93 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING ' 

undoubtedly holds first place among his kind, and it 
with a sort of regret that we read in our natural histor 
that the handsome beast is now rarely met with exce 
m Africa, and that " our children will scarcely know h 
except from books." i 

His ferocity and his courage perhaps only exist 

proportion to the needs of his stomach. Buffon, wrid 

really more as a theorist and a man of letters, gives us= 

magnificent word-picture of the hon's bravery and gen' 

rosity. Livingstone, on the other hand, who spoke fro^ 

wide personal experience, says, in so many words, that tl^ 

noble animal is a skulking, cowardly bully, and one ca^ 

find only too many travellers and tried hunters read 

to support the missionary doctor's statement. Thf 

he fears to attack man, unless provoked by hungl 

or other causes, is now generally estabHshed as a facf 

and there is Httle doubt that the care which the hones 

takes to conceal her young is to prevent their sire' 

makmg a meal of them. At the same time, an anima 

that will fight and slay the African or Asiatic buffalo cai 

scarcely be entirely wanting in courage. 

In his dealings with man he is to be regarded less a 
an enemy to hfe and limb than as a stealer of his substance 
Fifty years ago the South African Boer, the Abyssiniatf 
herdsman, and the Arab dealer in mules or camels were 
all groaning under his depredations among their flocks so 
It IS hardly surprising that men should set their wits' to 
work to exterminate such a pest. Jules Gerard, the 
famous "tueur des Hons," estimated that in the fifties 
each North African lion was kiUing on an average about 
£250 worth of cattle, horses, camels, and sheep every 
year. And lions were not scarce in those days, for 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

,mes Richardson, the companion of Barth and Over- 
Ig, speaks of passing a granite mountain in the Sahara 
Ldch was " swarming " with the terrible brutes. 
It is from this heroic explorer that we learn something 
^ the curious methods of Uon-trapping among the Arabs 
d Touaregs of Northern Africa. Accompanied by a 
•eikh and his retinue, Richardson's expedition was 
jkking a painfully slow march southwards across the 
]hara, often being detained for several days or weeks 

one spot. DayHght and dark were ahke wearisome 

the explorers : by day the terrific heat and the con- 
jantly recurring arguments, squabbles, and skirmishes 
!ith the natives ; by night the excessive cold and the 
/er-present danger from the Uons that prowled round 
'e camp. From a sporting point of view Richardson's 
,:periences among the hons were disappointing. If one 
' them showed himself by day, he would not venture 
'ithin gunshot, and when at night the EngHshman 
,ent outside the camp, the marauder that had terrified 
le inmates by his roaring always seemed to have dis- 
Dpeared. True, his friend Heinrich Barth one day 
,-irsued a small traveUing family of the creatures some 
•lies from the camp, but succeeded in kilhng nothing 

ore formidable than a jerboa. 

And still the nocturnal roarings and thefts continued. 
jU one night a goat was carried off ; on another a mule 
ias killed and half devoured. Whatever may be said 
jt his courage, the lion has plenty of sagacity and cunning, 
'here is method in his roarings. When he cannot find 

meal to hand he puts his head down to the ground and 
ellows with all his might, knowing full well that the 
oise, being so^near the earth, will be refracted and 

95 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

dispersed, so that it will be difficult for the hearer „ 
decide from what quarter it has come. Thus an animj 
that is snugly hidden away will spring out, thinking ti 
noise is close to him, and will eventually run straight in^l 
the very danger he is trying to avoid. 

The Arabs seemed rather horrified at the idea of boldl 
facing the foe with powder and baU, and Richardson wai 
not a httle surprised when, on the afternoon following, 
the death of the mule, the sheikh entered his tent anct 
begged the loan of " a gun that would slay a Hon." The 
Englishman wilhngly granted the request, and taking up 
a second gun, prepared to follow the Arab. 

" One gun will be ample," observed the latter. " Come 
and see;" and he led the way, not to a hon hunt, but to 
a spot outside the camp where lay the carcass of a camel 
that had that morning died of old age. Round the dead 
beast stood a score of Arabs busily constructing aiJ 
enclosure of thorns, and whatever moderately stou<l 
wood that part of the desert afforded. \ ; 

" To-night we shall kill the hon," observed the sheik| 
with great pride, and went on to explain how, Thi I 
enclosure was a trap, the camel the bait, the gun th^ 
instrument of death. j 

By the time the Arabs had worked for a couple of hourf 
as briskly as their constitution will allow, a stout squar0 
hedge, twelve feet high, surrounded the defunct camel ; ( 
but on one side was a narrow aperture, just large enoughji 
to allow of the passage of the lion's body. In this the 
gun was hung, muzzle outwards, two or three feet from 
the ground, and secured by ropes to prevent its swinging. 
An extra cord was now tied to the trigger, passed over a 
horizontal pole fixed within the enclosure, then brought 

96 ' 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

ward again over a second bar. To the end of this line 
tubstantial joint of meat was fastened, so securely that 
[y considerable force would free it ; and the force that 
ijged at the meat would, the sapient sheikh pointed out, 
p pull the trigger, to the immediate inconvenience of 
b lion. 

tt was an exciting time for everybody as evening drew 
The Europeans, poor fellows ! were only too glad 
^ny trifling event that would break the dismal monotony 
[[their environment. Darkness came; so did the lion, 
I'li his rumbling roar made the more timid Arabs quake 
(they huddled round the fire. There came a sudden 
iarl ; then another ; then a sharp cHck, plainly audible 
-the breathless watchers ; another silence, another snarl ; 
3pn — nothing. Richardson and Overweg started up, 
|ti in hand, and rushed towards the trap, heedless 
j a warning cry from the sheikh ; and they arrived 
itime to see the dim outline of a lion disappearing in 
? gloom. Too many cooks had spoiled the broth. 
iiey had forgotten to load the gun, and the thief had 
lurched off triumphant with the joint, which he had torn 
■ m its moorings. 

Better luck, however, where Hon-trapping was con- 
B-ned, awaited the explorers a little farther south. Here 
p natives were more practical, less cowardly, and less 
ifiding ; and the first night a Hon dared to visit the 
jnp he was snared without trouble or ceremony. A five 
il had been suspended from a rope that stretched 
Iween the tops of a couple of tents, at too great a, 
-ght for the average lion to reach it by springing, 
e savage visitant, robbed of thia customary caution by 
less of hunger, leapt recklessly at the bait, only to miss 

97 G 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

it by about a foot, and to fall headlong into a pit prepare 
for him. Here, when morning came, the entrappt 
" king of beasts " was exposed to the hooting and missiL 
of everybody in the camp, was knocked silly with sticl 
and stones, and would have been left to die of wounc 
and starvation but for a merciful bullet from the gun k 
one of the Europeans. 

Some naturalists have drawn attention to special point 
of difference between the North, Mid, and South Afric. 
lion ; but for our present purpose it will be sufficient 
regard him as essentially the same, and to say that th' 
Asiatic lion, now seldom seen, only differs from him i 
possessing but a rudimentary mane, and in being of ij 
somewhat lighter shade of colour. 

Nile explorers have often found a terrible foe in thi 
lion of Nubia and Abyssinia ; and Dr. Ferdinand Werne 
a Prussian Vice-Cousul at Alexandria, whose journey ti; 
the source of the White Nile rendered him famous in thii 
'forties, has many interesting stories of his adventure! 
with this animal. Like all other carnivorous beasts, the 
lion reaches almost his highest pitch of fierceness wher 
he is in danger of being robbed of a meal ; but once let 
him get firm hold of that meal, and he will scuttle awaj 
with it, even if only pursued by a child, as nimbly as { 
cat or dog that has stolen a mutton-chop ; and nothin| 
short of a determined attack in the rear will make hin 
drop his prey and do battle for it. Dr. Werne gives us { 
good illustration of this fact. \ 

While he and his Arab followers were encamped a 
some distance from the river bank, a full-grown lior 
suddenly appeared from nowhere in particular, made a 
dash at the cattle-pen, seized a good-sized calf, and 

98 




A Plucky Sheikh 

A lion seized and carried off a good-sized calf. A young sheikh, mounted on a jnule, 
and armed with only a spear, followed, and transfixed the brute in mid-air as it was 
springing at him. 



I LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

i^ardless of the badly aimed knives, stones, and bullets 
iat were launched at him, coolly leapt over a fence 
(arly ten feet high, and, calf in mouth, trotted away. 
iis may sound hke a "traveller's tale," but naturalists 
i our own day give even more astounding instances of 
b animal's immense strength. 

A young sheikh at once sprang on to his mule, and, 
'med only with a lance, rode in pursuit of the thief. 
ke race was unequal, for the rider was expert and slightly 
lilt, the mule fresh and swift, while the Hon was ham- 
Ired with a burden almost equal in weight to that which 
!^ mule carried ; and before he had gone half a mile, his 
irsuer was nearly abreast of him. 

But a mule is not an ideal mount for lion-hunting. 

ist as the sheikh was within touching distance, the 

!^stinate httle beast jibbed, shied, and, with a less skilled 

ier, would have lain down and rolled. Maddened at 

'^ing his quarry escaping, the plucky hunter jumped 

the ground and, continuing the chase on foot, stabbed 

\e Hon in the haunch with his lance-point. The animal 

ok a few strides forward, which freed him from the 

eapon ; then, dropping his burden, turned on his pursuer. 

cry of terror rose from the spectators who had followed 

' were still within the camp, and as they shouted, the 

)n, with a furious yell, crouched for a spring. But 

e Httle sheikh skipped Hghtly to one side, and while the 

ute was in the air, drove his lance clean through the 

eat tawny body, then stood calmly watching his 

retched victim writhing in the death agony, as though 

3thing out of the ordinary had occurred. 

I In various parts of the Soudan, Werne found lion- traps 

'-nerally constructed on a more elaborate scale than those 

99 G 2 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

seen by Richardson. The most interesting of these waa:[f 
an ambush rather than a trap. A deep hole was dug aiT 
the edge of a narrow path known to be frequented by 
lions, and in this three or four men, armed with flint-locki- 
and lances, stood upright. A close network of stout poles 
was then laid across the top, and over it a large joint of 
meat. No sooner did the luckless lion pause to inspect t 
this than the protruding musket-barrels emptied a shower 
of lead into him ; and while he sought to get at his foes, 
he was rapidly dispatched by the lance-points from belo-wi 

In Abyssinia, Werne was to meet with his most ex? 
citing lion adventure. Early one morning shouts ant( 
shrieks from the Arab followers called him from tm 
camp, outside of which he found one of his servant 
lying lacerated and bleeding, and just recovering froa- 
a swoon. The bystanders said they had come up iis 
time to drive away a lion that had seized the unluckjj > 
fellow by the shoulder and was apparently about to majjji ! 
a meal of him. The Arab's own account of his awfi| i 
experience is very similar to that which Livingstone so 
years later gave of his feelings under similar circumstancei 
After the first momentary pain caused by the brutej 
claws he was conscious of nothing, for the lion shook hi: 
so furiously that he became half stupefied, and th 
insensible. 

Accompanied by his body-servant and the you 
sheikh who had already distinguished himself as a hunt^ 
Werne started to follow the track of the assailant, an( 
this was soon found to lead to a tangled mass of brush- 
wood which formed the edge of a small forest. Unused 
to woodland hunting, the three men now had the greatest, 
difficulty in tracing the lion, and were soon altogether ofii 

100 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

ije scent. Just then a female elephant and her young 
iie put in an appearance, and Sale, Werne's servant, 
r fuelled his gun at the smaller animal. Aware of the 
iicomfortable consequences of robbing a mother elephant 
fej her Httle one, the German prudently knocked up the 
clrrel, and the charge flew harmlessly in the air, while, 
3|,ppily, the elephants took flight, startled by the shot. 
|iis incident, and Werne's subsequent reprimand to 
^^le, drove away all thought of lions from the minds of 
^e hunters, and the sheikh, for want of other amusement, 
ijgan to blaze away at the gaudy-coloured birds that 
iDpped from tree to tree. And now that every one was 
[Heerfully off his guard, there was a sudden rustle in the 
tidergrowth, and out sprang a hon — if not the one they 
lere in search of, at least a companion quite as un- 
i^sirable. There he stood, lashing his tail and snarling, 
it)t more than five yards from the nearest man, who 
liippened to be Werne. 

The doctor, though no coward, felt his hand trembling 
lOefully as he aimed his gun at the terrible vision before 
im. So unstrung was he, in fact, that, when he fired, 
le bullet went wide, and his second barrel was not 
•aded. But this was better than if he had slightly 
lounded his adversary. The Hon, mystified rather than 
lirther enraged, stood with tail erect, and glared at the 
nfortunate explorer, then half turned his head in the 
irection of the sheikh, who, some distance away, was 
laking considerable clatter in loading his ponderous 
aatchlock, which he had discharged just as the lion put 
1 an appearance. From that quarter there was evidently 
o hope for Werne, and his man Sale had disappeared as 
ample tely as though the earth had swallowed him. 

101 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

Werne let fall his gun, and stealthily pulled a smal 
double-barrelled pistol from his belt ; there was just ; 
hope that it might avail him at close quarters. He ma;i 
be pardoned for shuddering at the thought of how ver; 
close those quarters might soon be. Made reckless b 
the horrible suspense, he took a couple of steps forward]] 
As he did so, the long coarse grass just in front of hinii 
rustled and waved ever so slightly, as though stirred bji 
the passage of a snake ; then came a loud report, and thd 
lion fell dead. Sale, at the first sight of him, had dropped 
behind a bush, and, distrusting his aim, had crept as 
noiselessly as an Indian to short range, and so had savec I 
his master's life. 

A not altogether dissimilar adventure befell an Englis 
sportsman, Mr. Andrew Steedman, who, about the saml 
time, was wandering in the South African wilds, bucb 
hunting, with a friend named Thackwray. 

As the Rev. J. G. Wood has pointed out, the Hon iei 
somewhat of an epicure in his way, when circumstances' 
permit, preferring not only certain animals, but certain 
parts of those animals, and the eland and the springbok, f 
gemsbok and blessbok, are dainties that he cannot resist, 
Steedman had just brought down a fine buck, and th 
two friends were strolling towards where the animal ha 
fallen, when a lion bounded from behind a hillock, an 
ignoring the two men, swooped down on the dead buc 
The hunters crept cautiously forward till they reached 
large boulder, from behind which they could shoot in'^ 
comparative safety. Then, looking out from their 
hiding-place, they were astonished to see that their in- 
tended victim, instead of tearing his prey and glutting 
himself, was coolly and patiently ripping the body open 

102 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

4th his claws. This done, His Majesty tore out and 
isvoured, first the heart and lungs, then the liver ; 
ijid, having appeased his hunger, was moving languidly 

«i " He's left the best for us, at any rate," said Thackwray, 
liking aim at the departing beast, which, the next 
ioment, fell dead with a bullet in his heart. 
I Leaving the bodies to the care of their servants, the 
Vo friends moved on, and presently came in sight of 
It'hat in those days was not altogether uncommon— a 
«ierd of seven or eight thousand springboks, " packed 
bgether as thick as locusts." To shoot, and at fairly close 
lange, at such a body was the reverse of sportsmanhke ; 
Ind the young fellows held their fire, waiting either till 
Uie or two of the animals should separate themselves 
:rom the main bulk, or till some worthier mark for a 
!)ullet should appear. They had not long to wait, for 
..nother Hon sprang between them and the bucks, and 
promptly " held up " the whole herd. 
i Thackwray, whose Uon-hunting had till lately been 
lionfined to North Africa, seemed surprised at a second 
: ion's appearing so near to the first ; and herein hes a 
rreat difference between the Hon of the North and that 
pi the South. In Algeria and the Sahara there are few 
f.arge animals, and the Hon, having estabhshed a home 
^ror himself, " has it all his own way "; and, as a rule, 
Jmakes no trouble of keeping other beasts, whether of his 
bwn species or another, at a distance. In Southern 
Africa, however, where elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, 
and buffaloes abound, he cannot afford to be independent, 
4,and is forced to combine and " go shares." 
\ Steedman gave the interloper both barrels, and cut 

103 
i 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING ^ 

short his career, while the swift-footed springboks,, 
alarmed by the double report, fled in all directions. 1 

The hunters now Avalked across to inspect the deadj 
animal — a fine beast, measuring nearly eight feet from! 
muzzle to buttock. Thackwray was carefully making] 
notes when, with no warning — not so much as a growl — j 
a lioness — probably the widow — sprang over a milk-bush,J 
and the next moment was standing over the now pros^J 
trate Thackwray. So little noise had she made tha^i 
Steedman, who had turned aside to light his cigar, kne\^ 
nothing of what had happened till, startled by his chum's' 
cry, he looked round and saw the gruesome sight. H0i 
was about to take aim, when the horrible thought occurred? 
to him that his gun had not yet been recharged. He 
was new to African life at that time, but we may be sure 
that he never again fired a shot without at once re-f 
loading. 

The fact that the average lion is afraid of a humad 
being is illustrated by his demeanour when standing! 
over a man. Where he would instantly tear an animal' 
with teeth and claws, he almost invariably stands oveF 
the man, merely holding him prisoner, from whicb! 
position he may often be scared by the advent of another^ 
human being. ' I 

The lioness did after her kind ; her weight had forced^ 
the young fellow, face downwards, to the ground, but'i 
beyond preventing him from rising, she made no imme-i 
diate attempt at further assault. Steedman cast a] 
longing glance at his friend's loaded gun, which lay use-- 
less at his side ; to try to reach it would mean certain^ 
death for one of them. To reload his own weapon, and^ 
that speedily, was the only resource left him ; and it is ^ 

104 



LIONS AND LION-HUNTING 

iiot easy for the modern sportsman, accustomed to a gun 

hat even a child can load in a second, to appreciate the 

jxquisite torture of a man condemned to charge a muzzle- 

ibader while a dear friend's Hfe hangs in the balance. He 

skid not stop to load both barrels ; it was neck or nothing 

-|iow. But as he took aim, the fear of shooting his friend 

would obtrude itself, and while his finger quivered on the 

jj^rigger, the gun went off almost automatically. 

Ij At the report Thackwray gave a gasp of joy ; but the 

nstant pressure of the Honess's paw on his shoulder-blade 

fLold him that she was neither killed nor wounded. 

y Steedman, his hair on end and his brain in a whirl, 

llstared stupidly at his empty gun. Then, all at once, 

ethere flashed through his mind the story, new then, and 

s3till a household word in South Africa to-day, of the canny 

Boer who " scared " a lion away from him. This worthy 

had wounded the beast, had taken flight, and, finding 

himseK outrun, had climbed on to a stone heap, whence 

.he had driven off the enemy with shouts and gestures. 

Why not try this forlorn hope ? Despairingly the 
[young hunter brandished his gun, shouting his lustiest, 
hissing, hooting, howling, till the lioness, wondering 
what manner of maniac this might be, turned her eyes full 
on him. Slowly retreating backwards, Steedman con- 
tinued to yell : " Shoo ! Get away, you old hussy !" 
till at length the widow, if such she were, moved slowly 
away from her captive, and came sniffing towards his 
noisy companion. 

Interspersing directions to his chum with his hoots and 
cries, Steedman stepped back and back, the Honess 
keeping pace with him. And now the suspense was re- 
doubled, for Thackwray did not move ; and on his strong 

105 



ilONS AND LION-HUNTING > 

nerve and sure aim depended Steedman's life, and prob-, 
ably his own. Suppose he had fainted, or 

" Shoo — shoo — shoot, Thackwray !" shrieked the be- 
wildered fugitive. Then, in a low voice, scarcely more 
than a whisper, the other replied : 

" Can't you see I'm reaching for my gun ?" 

So it was. Thackwray 's right hand had been straying 
in the direction of his weapon as he lay, still unconscious 
of the enemy's precise whereabouts. 

At last his tall figure seemed to Steedman's agitated\j 
imagination to shoot bolt upright and spin round ir 
the air. 

" Take that, and be hanged to you !" he heard ; then i 
double report, and the lioness dropped, not dead, indeed 
but in such a condition as only called for the coup dt 
grace. 



I 



106 



Ml 



"i^ 



CHAPTER IX 

jlDVENTURES AMONG THE GREAT MONKEYS OF THE SOUTH 
j AND SOUTH-EAST 

Baboons and anthropoid apes. — What we know of the gorilla. — Mr. 
t Methuen's adventure. — A troop of baboons. — A runaway. — The 
ii mother stopped by a leopard. — Capturing the little one. — The 
troop in full cry after the leopard. — Strange native baboon-trap. 
— The chimpanzee. — The orang-utan. — Mr. Earl and M. Benant in 
Sumatra. — Chasing an orang-utan family. — Hindrances. — Stealing 
a baby orang. — Pursued by the mother and father. — A horrible 
death in view. — Saved. — Conflict between the orang and a croco- 
dile. 

i Under the above heading may be included the dog- 
headed monkeys or baboons, and those creatures which, 
from their Hkeness to man, have been called anthropoid 
apes — that is to say, the orang-utan and the chimpanzee, 
with his amiable relative the gorilla. 

Of the last-named there is little that can be said here. 
The " gorilla " of ifiction and the average travel-book is 
generally no gorilla at all, but either a chimpanzee, a 
negro, or a nightmare. William Win wood Reade, who went 
to the Gaboon country on purpose to study this animal, 
admits that he never beheld one at close quarters, and 
even goes the length of doubting whether M. du Chaillu 
ever did so. Be that as it may, there is no large mammal 

107 



AMONG THE GREAT MONKEYS ;;l 



Oil 



about which so little is known. The traveller writes 
him from hearsay among the negroes ; the scientist from 
induction ; while the ordinary person only knows hiiB 
from pictures, which can hardly be thought to flatter 
the poor beast. No adult gorilla has ever been taken" 
alive (at any rate, since the days of Hanno the Cartha-i 
ginian), and the little ones that have been caught havcj 
either died or else hved to be identified as chimpanzees. 

Of the chimpanzee and the baboon it is possible to 
speak more definitely, both of these animals having fre-i 
quently been seen, captured, fought with, or tamed 
Both are to be found in the more southerly half of Africa.! 
the baboon preferring the east side and the chimpanzee: 
the west. A good account of the baboon is given by Mr. 
Henry Methuen, who spent eight months in big-game-" 
hunting in the southern forests of Africa. He found them! 
— as everybody else has done — brutal and ferocious, and 
altogether very undesirable as neighbours. 

Returning one day from an unsuccessful buffalo hunt, 
he and an English friend, with two negro guides, en-J 
countered a troop of these animals on the march from an 
old habitation to a new one ; for it is the practice of most 
monkeys to take up their abode in a certain spot, to clear: 
off all the eatables within a certain radius, and then to' 
move on and establish a new town elsewhere. At sight*' 
of such a number — there were over fifty — the negroes^ 
fled and hid behind trees, leaving the sportsmen to manage 
as best they could. 

Now, the baboons understand concerted attack better 
than all the other monkeys put together — perhaps better 
than any of the lower animals, though Methuen and his' 
friend were not aware of this. Whether it be for fighting 

108 



! OF THE SOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST 

I 

;|r for stealing, they will band together under the general- 
i|hip of one or two elderly leaders, and their tactics would 
tften put in the shade the methods of warfare followed 
jy negroes. 

j These animals did not look particularly fierce at first 
/light, and the two Englishmen saw no reason why they 
jhould run aAvay ; but, as the little army came nearer, 
both began rather to regret their temerity, for on such 
occasions the gruesome stories one has heard of the deeds 
ji)f such and such an animal ivill obtrude themselves. 
When the beasts were within a hundred yards the coolness 
«iDf both men failed them, and they sprang back from the 
!.ong, straight path and hid behind a tree-trunk, from 
A'liich they could still obtain a very excellent view of the 
(•march past. 

E Chattering, frisking, or squabbling, the little crowd 

['•passed on, the young ones pausing now and again to 

examine, with the inquisitiveness of pups, some object 

;or other that lay by the way, and often staying so long 

:rthat the mothers turned and cried to them to " come 

ion." In one case an irate female actually turned and 

treated her youngster to a sound cuffing, and bundled 

him on in front of her in the most human manner. 

" I must have one of those young ones," whispered 
Methuen's friend. 

The words were scarcely out of his mouth when a par- 
ticularly fine baby baboon caught sight of something that 
attracted his attention among the trees some yards to the 
far side of the path, and he scampered away from the line 
in pursuit. 

" Wait," whispered Methuen. " If only the mother 
comes back, I'll shoot her, and you can go for the kid." 

109 



AMONG THE GREAT MONKEYS 

It was not till the procession had moved on near] 
another fifty yards that the mother missed her little one' 
but when she did, her distress was so manifest that onl 
a man who had more of the brute than the sportsman v 
him could have fired at her, and the two friends e3'^ 
changed a glance of despair. Uttering plaintive litt,' 
cries, the " babooness " trotted back, sniffing the groun 
as though trying to find the trail of the lost one, anci 
having arrived opposite the tree which protected th 
two hunters, she stopped, and seemed to be starin( 
straight at it. 

" If she's coming here to attract her friends to us, she'i 
have to pay for it," said Methuen, drawing a long kniff; 
while his companion clubbed his gun. But she turne- 
away again, and was starting across the path in the direc' 
tion which the little one had taken, when the far end d 
an immense limb of the tree under which the two me' 
were standing rustled and vibrated, and a long dar 
body shot from it like a thunderbolt. The hunters ha' 
been bhssfuUy sheltering behind a tree on which a hungr; 
leopard was perching. 

Taking the mother thus unawares, the powerful brut' 
seized her by the back of the neck, and started to im 
swiftly up the path in the reverse direction to that whic] 
the baboons had taken. Then came the most heart* 
rending shrieks from the victim, at the sound of whic) 
the distant body of monkeys turned like one man, ancJ 
taking immense strides, were soon past the conceaW 
pair, on the track of their tribe's enemy. ' 

" Now's our only chance," said Methuen, springing 
from the hiding-place. But as he spoke, the two negrc 
guides came out from among the trees on the other side 

110 



OF THE SOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST 

||(f the path, one of them holding up with great pride the 
'ittle baboon which his master was just hoping to catch. 
irhe black made a sign that they must escape as quickly 
J[s possible, and all four men set off at full speed, nor did 
j{hey stop till they reached the native village for which 
;|hey had been making. 

ici What happened to the mother and the leopard it was 
ijknpossible to say. Ordinarily the leopard, as we shall 
ti|ee in a subsequent chapter, is not far out in his calcula- 
jalions, and he may have got back to his lair in comfort, 
Ijor, courageous as the baboons are, they will never pur- 
I'lfue a leopard actually to liis den. But if the monkeys 
„|aught him, he no doubt met with short shrift, for even 
jcine male baboon is often more than a match for a leopard, 
pvuriously enough, the paws are the part of his enemy's 
j!,natomy that the baboon usually attacks, often biting 
Jhem right through ; and so agile are his movements 
-hat the other beast seems almost powerless against him. 
;'n a hand-to-hand scuffle with a monkey of this sort a 
^Qan would be almost helpless ; indeed, one of them has 
)een known to kill a man with a single bite. His pet 
orm of attack on such an occasion is to fasten his teeth 
irmly in the throat, and, keeping them there, to push the 
man away from him with his powerful arms. The result 
;s the same as if a boy fixes his teeth in a large apple and 
hen tries forcibly to pull the apple away. 
I The little baboon so easily captured soon grew very 
jiiactable and affectionate, and when the travellers re- 
/umed to England they brought him with them. 

At this native village Methuen saw a baboon- trap, 
vhich, for simplicity, beat all the snares he had ever 
jieard of. He was not fortunate enough to see it in action, 

111 



AMONG THE GREAT MONKEYS I 

but the negroes solemnly assured him that it never failej 
to catch the monkey that ventured near it. A largi 
pumpkin was hollowed out, filled with Indian corn, an 
tied securely to a stake fastened in the ground. The onl 
opening left was a small sort of bung-hole in the toji 
through which the inquisitive baboon might smell ant 
inspect the contents. Being very fond of Indian corn, I 
would naturally insert his paw and grab as big a handfi 
as possible ; but, like the fabled boy with the nuts, I' 
would then find that he could not withdraw his han<^ 
and, his intelligence not keeping pace with his greed, I 
was thus made a hopeless prisoner. \ 

The negro who explained the methods and virtues ♦ 
this trap may have been kin to the gentleman who carrie 
guinea-pigs by the tail and caught birds with salt ; 
the other hand, the reasoning power of monkeys comes ' 
such sudden and unexpected stops that there is qui 
reasonable ground for believing that such a trap mig] 
be effective. 

The one or two chimpanzees which Mr. Methuen m' 
with were far more intelligent than the baboons. The' 
animals, varying in height from three and a half to five fee' 
are the apes which in appearance most nearly approach tl 
human form. As to their native ferocity, there are dive^ 
opinions. Methuen found them viciously mischievo 
rather than aggressive ; though, if wounded, they wou'* 
turn more fiercely than any lion. A small one which ]' 
purchased became quite affectionate, though it wou^ 
show at times a sort of hypocritical cunning. Unfort' 
nately, the animal died on the voyage home ; but had - 
reached England, he probably would not have lived lor 
for it is found that the chimpanzee can rarely stand o 

112 



I OF THE SOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST 

5limate. Almost always the poor beast dies in rapid con- 
sjimption if brought here, though he will hve to a good 
c|.d age in Southern Europe. 

i 

jt; The orang-utan— which name is Malay for " wild man 
tc the woods " — is a particularly unhandsome beast, as 
iljiU as a short man, covered with reddish hair, and pain- 
jilly like a human idiot in the face. There is a dark 
ilariety in South-West Africa, but the real home of the 
)l|aimal is in and about Sumatra ; and it was here that 
ifr. George Windsor Earl and a French naturaUst, 
[. Benant, saw and studied him for a short time. 
)j On hearing that a family of these apes had been seen 
^iiitside the village where they were staying, the two 
pj-avellers went in chase, guided by half a dozen natives, 
jollowing their tracks over a pestilential marsh, they 
Ijliached a low jungle, into which all plunged. 
j, "There they are!" cried M. Benant, before they had pene- 
ii-ated twenty yards into the jungle. A dozen good-sized 
IjiLonkeys could be seen fleeing through the canes towards 
iji grove of trees beyond. But Mr. Earl, whose sight was 
hotter than his friend's, at once saw that these were not 
ij*angs, but a reddish species of baboon. Anxious to 
it>tain museum specimens, both men fired, and brought 
jlown two monkeys ; but instantly the others seized their 
jjead or wounded brethren, and had soon fled with them 
j it of reach of the guns. 

Ir Unchecked by this disappointment the hunters pursued 
j|teir way towards the forest ; but, on reaching the far 
i ie of the jungle, found themselves still separated from 
, by a wide and muddy pool. They were about to walk 
^i»und the end of this when one of the natives discovered 

113 H 



AMONG THE GREAT MONKEYS | 

a large canoe, with its paddles hidden in the bushes, an 

in this they made for the other side. But — fresh di' 

appointment — when they reached the far bank thei 

was only uninviting mud for them to land on, and, i 

make matters more unpleasant, the mud was then 

possession of a family of crocodiles, interesting enoujj 

at a distance, but not desirable as intimates. , 

After a good deal of paddling up and down, howevej 

a firm landing-place was found, and all the hunte 

hastened into the forest. Here their perseverance Wj 

soon rewarded, for they suddenly came upon three oran^ 

Monsieur, Ma'dame, et Bebe — Monsieur fast asleep wii 

his back against a rock ; Madame reflectively chewi^ 

berries ; and their offspring persecuting a beetle at sor 

distance from his parents. j 

"Farther back — quick!" whispered one of the nativ, 

" You are too near to fire. If you were to miss, at le{, 

one of us would be killed." 

Then, while the rest prudently retreated, the nati; 
stole swiftly forward, whipped up the little orang, ai 
carrying it under his arm, followed his party. But, w 
a wild shriek that awakened her slumbering lord, i 
mother darted after the culprits, her mate following mv 
slowly. 

" Make for the boat ; you can shoot from ther^ 
screamed the native who had stolen the little one. | 

Stumbling and breathless, the travellers sought in Vj, 
to keep pace with their fleet-footed guides, while beh 
them, coming every moment nearer, sounded the crm 
of the mother's hurried steps over the fallen leaves. I 
just ahead the sleepy crocodiles were bestirring themseh 
as though they thought dinner-time had about come roUj 

114 



I OF THE SOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST 

', Earl saw the grisly monsters waddling towards the 
iinoe, and hesitated ; but one look round at his pursuer 
jiade even the crocodiles seem preferable : for the orang's 
)}d hair was bristhng with rage, and, as she rushed on 
jith flaming eyes, she looked as much like a she-devil as 
buld well be imagined ; and not far behind her came the 
\ven more terrible male. 

The natives had already scrambled into the boat, and 
j'ere holding out hands to drag the Europeans after them, 
louting and yeUing so that all the crocodiles — except 
ne particularly wicked and hungry-looking monster — 
Dok fright, and even he edged nervously back. Now 
|he enraged mother was so near that the two fugitives 
ould hear her panting breath — nay, almost feel it — 
ehind them. One slip or stumble and they were lost. 
Vith a desperate effort M. Benant took a flying leap 
Ind landed safely in the boat, though he nearly knocked 
native into the water in doing so ; and then 
omething — it might have been orang-utan's paws, or 
rocodiles' jaws, or human hands : he scarcely knew 
/^hich — seized the EngHshman by the forearms and 
ragged him amidships, and the boat put off with a 
riumphant cry from the natives. 

At sight of this the mother stopped, and, throwing her 
ands into the air, wept and raved so that the travellers 
ould have found it in their hearts to carry her baby back 
o her. But the father wasted no time in lamentations, 
low that he was driven to extremities ; he plunged 
bstinately down the sloping bank, as though he would 
lave given chase. 

All of a sudden the old crocodile, which had been watch- 
ng the proceedings drowsily, became very much awake 

115 H 2 



AMONG THE GREAT MONKEYS 

and opened his jaws, with the benevolent intention 
putting it out of the orang's power to follow the ki 
nappers. 

"The crocodile has got the old man," cried Earl, st 
too much shaken to dream of firing. 

" No ; the old man will have the crocodile, you'll see 
said the more experienced Frenchman. As he spo) 
the orang sprang to one side, avoiding the horrible jav 
and the next minute was seated on the reptile's bac 
avenging on him the sins of the hunters. Blow aft* 
blow rained on the crocodile's head ; and then, as t) 
tormented creature started in desperation to run doV 
to the water, the gallant ape leant forward, grasped tl 
upper jaw in his left hand and the lower in his right, ar 
proceeded to give as sickening an exhibition of his streng^ 
as even the most unhealthy-minded person might wish 
see ; for he tore the jaws asunder as a man might split" 
cleft stick, and in another moment the reptile had ceas 
to struggle. 

The little orang died before long, but neither of t 
travellers felt inclined to go in search of another to suppi 
his place. 



116 



CHAPTER X 

HUNTING THICK-SKINNED WILD BEASTS 

le elephant, the rhinoceros, and the hippopotamus. — " The elephant's 
a gentleman." — Pursued by a she-elephant. — Up a tree. — Nearly- 
shot. — Choosing the less of two evils. — Killing the calf. — A hundi'ed 
bullets to one elephant. — A Kafir hunt. — Standing on dangerous 
ground. — The first elephant killed by the chief. — " Do not kill us, 
great captain." — A blind elephant. — Drawbacks to the pursuit of 
science. — The rhinoceros of Africa. — An unreasonable beast. — A 
terrible weapon of defence. — James Bruce's description of an 
Abyssinian hunt. — Ham-stringing the game. — The hippopotamus. 
— Dr. Baikie's expedition. — Traps and poisoned arrows. — Taking 

the latitude under difficulties. — A horrible predicament. 

t' 

If HE elephant and the rhinoceros as found in Africa, 
i}]Ogether with the hippopotamus, form the subject of this 

hapter. For a glance at the skin, legs, and movements 
, »f these huge creatures at once convinces us that they 
liiiust be closely related to each other, even though their 
Ijieads are so dissimilar in shape, even though one rhi- 

loceros is black and another white, though one has two 

fiorns and another only one, and the hippopotamus none 

it all. 

; The only one of the three that can boast a trunk is the 
! slephant, and of him we shall first speak. This African 

nonster differs from his Asiatic or Eastern brother in 

aaving a rounder, more convex forehead, larger ears, 

i 117 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED 

and a darker coat, as well as in having but three toe 
instead of four, on the hind-feet. In a tame state \v 
know how far he is capable of being an ally to his owners j 
and even when wild it would be absurd to class him wit 
the lion and the ape and the leopard as an enemy to mar 
" The elephant's a gentleman," sings Mr. Kiplim 
alluding to the domesticated animal ; and the compl 
ment should by right be extended to the undomesticatec 
for there is a well-bred dignity about him — a suggestio' 
of majesty, dominion and power — that should make eve' 
the most inveterate hunter feel that he is in the presenc- 
of the aristocrat of the forest. i 

Not that the African savage or the European colonis^ 
would unreservedly subscribe to the idea of his being n^ 
enemy to the crops. When so inclined, he will eat up ^ 
young plantation or trample down a corn-field, with nf 
more consideration than the veriest cad among gorilla' 
would show. Still, a gentleman may lose his tempei 
sometimes, may even display a certain degree of mis' 
chievousness or vindictiveness, and yet keep hf 
character. ' 

In a general way it is only to the disturber of his peac' 
that he is an enemy, and to him he can be terrible. There* 
fore, if the reader aspire to go a-hunting for elephants 
he must be prepared for some hard knocks, and worsen 
Further, let him take some other gear than that used id 
rabbit or pigeon shooting, or he may risk the sam^ 
unpleasant predicament in which the White Nile exi 
plorer, Dr. Werne, once found himself while shootin.^ 
small game in Abyssinia. 

Herr Werne and his Arab servant were peacefull;' 
lunching on the edge of a forest, having killed as man^ 

118 



jl WILD BEASTS 

)e$lrds as they could carry back to their hut, when they 
wftfere interrupted by an enormous uproar in a distant part 
irs^|f the forest. Shouts and screams, either of triumph or 
itfjpar, re-echoed among the trees, till it seemed to the 
iiiji[trangers that a native battle must be in progress ; and 
iiljiiot wishing to take an active part in Abyssinian political 
il;[i|roubles, the German made a sign to his man to collect 
An their belongings and make for the open again. But 
oiii;pefore this could be done, the Arab, with a cry of alarm, 
sil'Oointed to a dusky mass coming towards them, and 
f-}Werne beheld, to his dismay, a female elephant with her 
(kell-grown calf running so close to him that, if they kept 
sfeja straight line, they would pass him at a distance of about 
Kfttwelve yards. 

i i But they were not destined to pass him ; some strange 
M caprice made the mother suddenly turn the " tail of her 
iieye " on the innocent travellers, and in a moment she 
h, wheeled, as though confusing them with other foes, and 
ii made straight for them. Dr. Werne was not usually a 
ijl nervous man ; he had killed his elephant times out of 
! number ; but between the suddenness of the attack, the 
I) dreadful consciousness that his only weapon was a rook- 
j» rifle and his servant's a patriarchal matchlock, and the 
1| deafening shouts of the natives, who appeared to be 
jj coming in chase, all power to act fled away from him. 
i But as he stood gaping at the destruction that threatened 
: him, he was seized by the arms and dragged bodily on to 
: the low bough of a tree to which his servant had already 
: swung himself. 

"Up to the next," cried the Arab, as he hoisted him- 
self on to a higher branch, while the thunder of the 
i elephant's fore-feet sounded a bare yard or two from the 

119 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED | 

tree-trunk. Werne did not wait for a second hint, but 
with the strength of madness, drew himself on to the nexi 
bough, seven feet above the first. 

Now, the first was but five feet from the ground, sc 
that the fugitives were now landed on a sort of platform 
twelve feet high. But the elephant's height was as neai 
as possible eleven feet, and Werne had an uncomfortable 
feeling that she could, with the greatest ease, lift her head 
and so make it twelve, leaving him and his companion 
with the unenviable prospect of being knocked off their 
perch or dragged down by her enormous trunk, and 
trampled to a mass by her feet. He looked up ; the 
next bough was quite out of reach, and long before 
either could get to the main stem to climb higher, the 
elephant would probably have worked her will on at 
least one of them. 

Meanwhile the shouting came nearer, and now the*? 
prisoners could see the dark forms of men dodging among 
the trees. They looked helplessly at each other ; the 
elephant had stopped, and was glaring savagely up at- 
them, as though meditating on her mode of attack.'' 
Then came the crash of a gun, and a bullet whistled just 
over the Arab's head ; had he been standing upright - 
instead of crouching, it must have passed through hia^i 
body. 

Yet the shot probably saved the life of one of them ; '" 
for the old elephant at once started back as though'' 
stung, turned her head, saw upwards of a hundred negroes '' 
and Abyssinians spreading round her, and promptly 
began to make a dash for safety. But before she had 
taken three strides she pulled up short again, and, laying 
her trunk over her little one, drew it nearer to her. ^ 

120 



WILD BEASTS 

ijstonished at this new development, Werne looked 
■jbead of her, and there saw a dozen hunters, all armed 
jith guns, taking aim at her ; the natives, well used to 
tjaeir work, had already spread into a semicircle, and now 
][^ere joining up to form a complete ring round their prey. 
[I^herever he looked one or more gunmen were standing, 
)|nd the circle was gradually closing in. 
]' He only now had leisure to think on the refuge which 
]j.ad been thrust upon him ; it was brought back to his 
DQind by the Arab, who, with a cry of pain or fear, had just 
t^uried his face and neck in his arms. Werne shuddered 
i^s he turned to see what had happened, for he remembered 
3Jhat pythons and leopards and baboons— of all of which 
ihe neighbourhood was alarmingly productive— often 
ilect to pass some of their spare time in a tree ; and why 
Lot in this as well as another ? A glance at his man re- 
ieved his worst fears, for the present enemy was nothing 
Inore terrible than a few dozen wild bees, which had 
Jiecided that the Arab was there for some purpose hostile 
iipo themselves. 

;l Weme burst out laughing at his own fears ; neverthe- 
less, the horrors that his position suggested could not so 
isasily be laughed away ; and when to the notions of a 
^leopard's claw, a python's embrace, or a baboon's bite, 
jwas added the still more tangible danger from badly 
aimed bullets (one of which, even as he turned, flattened 
(itself against the bough under his feet), the doctor con- 
jcluded that he Avould be as safe on the ground as else- 
Vhere. The Arab did not wait to learn his master's 
decision, but took a flying leap down, snatched up his 
precious matchlock, and fired off the charge at the little 
elephant, whose grunts and gasps of pain at once proved 

121 
ii. 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED 

it to be wounded. The mother rounded on him as if sh.| 
moved on springs, but a dozen bullets on her right flanl 
made her stop and turn to see whence they had come 
and Werne took advantage of her being thus engaged t( 
drop from his uncomfortable perch, and hurriedly to seel 
shelter among the nearest group of hunters. 

The elephant-gun, as we understand it nowadays, wa^ 
not then in existence, and the weapons of the natives wckj 
old-fashioned even for that time ; so that Werne wa;j 
forced to the conclusion that one-haK of the hunteni 
would have shot the other half long before the elephanJ 
could be brought down. In this he did the African^ 
some injustice ; their aim was, on the whole, good 
and they observed a certain amount of method ii, 
their attack, every man sheltering himself as far a* 
possible behind either a tree or a boulder, or in some saf<{ 
hollow. „ 

The firing continued ; the httle one dropped, and th^ 
mother made futile charges back and forth, rocking her^ 
self with pain and fury whenever a ball struck her. At 
last all was over ; she fell gasping and groaning anc 
kicking, and, after one final struggle, lay motionlessj 
When Werne came to examine the carcass, he found nCj 
less than a hundred bullet-wounds in it. i 

In South Africa the Kafirs have only within receni| 
years taken to attacking the elephant with guns ; thtj 
assegai is the weapon with which they are most expert^ 
and to this day many of them prefer to use only thati 
A hunt carried on by means of such primitive tools? 
must needs be risky and exciting ; but, inasmuch as thQ 
Kafirs are more courageous than the African tribes 
further north, such hunts are enormously productives 

122 



WILD BEASTS 

4r. Andrew Steedman, of whose lion-slaying exploits 
ijiention has been made, took part in one of these. 
j Early on the morning of the hunt signalmen were 
':ilaced on every one of the chain of hillocks that sur- 
f'lounded a thickly wooded ravine, supposed to be in the 
Occupation of a large herd of elephants. The business 
^|.f these men was twofold : to give the alarm as soon as 
ihey sighted the herd, and to play the part of beaters, 
?|'ousing and frightening the game by their vociferous 
iDutcries. 

cj Steedman had finished his breakfast, and was making 
k final examination of his gun, when shouts were heard 
obom the nearest hill-top, and two messengers from the 
chief came to tell him that the sport was about to begin. 
'The Enghshman hurriedly joined the main body of 
Jihunters, and proceeded with them towards the mouth 
ilof the ravine. Knowing as he did the excitabihty of the 
liKafir character, he was surprised to find all the men 
'approaching their task so coolly and phlegmatically. 
iThis need not have astonished him ; the Kafir hunts the 
elephant for profit rather than for sport, for half of the 
'■ chief's revenue is derived from traffic in ivory. And it 
• may be noticed that, when gain is the sole end in view, a 
I man approaches such work with a very great deal of 
I calculation and a very httle thrill of excitement ; it is 
^ almost the difference between the feelings of the sports- 
I man who brings down a bird on the wing and of the hen- 
wife who wrings a chicken's neck. 

j But, arrived at the entry of the ravine, Steedman found 
■ that the beaters and the dogs were making up for his 
: companions' want of enthusiasm ; the shouting was 
i deafening, and, as the dogs were loosed and sent in to 

123 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED i 

! 

drive the game forward, it seemed as though pande j 
monium had broken loose. Suddenly the howUng anc i 
barking were augmented by an angry and more blatani 
sound — the trumpeting of disturbed elephants ; and tq 
this succeeded the steady tramp and thud of a largej 
number of heavy feet approaching. Steedman hacj 
innocently taken up what he conceived to be a goodi 
position, and was intently watching the spot whence the, 
elephant procession might be expected to issue, when hcj 
felt himself seized by the collar and swiftly dragged upi 
the slope behind him. Turning, half throttled, he beheld, 
one of the signalmen who had hurried down from hisj 
watch-tower, and who explained with a polite grin thatj 
the Enghshman had chosen the very place where he was, 
certain to be trampled over. 

" We do not attack them to their face," he remarked ;|; 
" we wait till they have turned their backs on us." 

In a very few minutes Steedman proved the truth of 
the nigger's words ; the thunder of footfalls increased, 
the ravine re-echoed with the crash of falling timber, as 
branches and saplings were snapped or trampled, andj 
then, like a great black riotous wave, the elephants burst 
into the plain, followed — and now outrun — by the fierce 
Kafir dogs. Had Steedman remained where he was, 
nothing could have saved him. 

Having gained the open, the elephants reduced their 
speed ; some continued at a sort of jog-trot, some stopped j 
and rocked themselves, as though seeking an object on j 
which to vent their fury, while others turned snappishly t 
on the dogs and lashed out at them with their trunks. 
Then arose a chorus of shouts from the hunters, and the 
whole body swooped down from the slopes on to the rear 

124 



WILD BEASTS 

9^ the herd. For a moment the animals seemed be- 
jildered by this addition to the prevailing discord ; the 
leaders stopped, and the rest now followed suit; the 
loUow trumpeting increased, but not a single animal 
^liade any attempt to attack the crowd of hunters that 
'iemmed them in on every quarter but the one which 
>ky before them. This was natural enough. The wild 
i'lephant's first instinct at the approach of man is un- 
doubtedly one of fear ; indeed, the African bull-elephant, 
Ixcept at certain seasons, might almost be called harm- 
'fess. Though exceedingly inteUigent, his brain works 
Ijilowly, and it takes him some time to " think a thing 
iut "; but bad luck to his persecutors when he at last 
:eaHz'es that it is time for him to remonstrate with 

bhem. 

While the herd were thus hovering between surprise, 
fear, and incUnation to vengeance, the Kafir chief, at 
'yhose side Steedman was now standing, walked forward 
with the utmost nonchalance and drove his long-bladed 
knife into an old elephant's abdomen; then skipped 
'deftly back as the poor creature sank quivering on to 
ijhis knees. The chief's feat was hailed with triumphant 
-acclamation, and, as though they regarded this as a 
! starting signal, the Kafirs commenced their task of 
I butchery. Half a dozen men to one beast, they drove 
'their keen-bladed assegais through the thick, leathery 
'! skin, doing more injury to the animal in a few seconds 
i than Steedman seemed able to do with his rifle in as many 

minutes. 

But the maniacal yelling had stopped now ; every 
■ man was cool again, though by no means silent. In- 
stead of the insane shouts that had first been uttered, 

125 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED jj' 

each Kafir began to substitute a prayer to the animali 
he was endeavouring to kill, gabbling it in a quick 
smg-song voice ; the burden of this was : ■- 

" Do not kiU us, great captain ; do not strike us oi 
tread upon us, mighty chief !"-a fairly cool requesti 
on the whole, considering what they were doing to the 
elephants. 

A certain amount of rivah-y existed among the' 
slaughterers; whoever got in first blow claimed the' 
beast, no matter by whose hand it subsequently fell) 
Steedman shot one of them dead that had been slightly 
wounded by a black whom the elephant was just in thd 
act of seizing with his trunk ; and the black's method o£ 
showing his gratitude to his preserver was the brisk 
reminder, " He's mine, remember— not yours." ; 

One beast refused to succumb to just a few spears j 
twenty natives surrounded his flanks and hinder end/ 
and it was not tiU full sixty assegais bristled in him Hke^ 
the pricks of a hedgehog that he dropped. Steedman^ 
was taken up with noticing this, and it was not till a' 
warning shout came from a negro near at hand that he 
perceived that one bull had broken away from the herd, 
and was making a determined charge towards him. He' 
fired both his barrels ; one bullet struck the animal's'! 
forehead, the other glanced off his shoulder ; and, seeing^ 
that this had no effect, the Enghshman fled towards thel 
range of rocks at the foot of one of the hills, accompanied^! 
by his negro neighbour, whose stock of assegais had^i 
become reduced to one. If he could reach the rocks, 'i 
Steedman would probably be able to load in safety.'] 
HaK-way there, the Kafir looked back ; then, instead of ' 
keeping straight forward, started on a zigzag course. 'i 

126 ' 



WILD BEASTS 

Run like this," he shouted. 
Steedman obeyed wonderingly, and at length ventured 
I look round. The elephant was still coming along in a 
jrect line, but with his trunk stiff and his head slightly 
tpwed, as though he were following by scent rather than 
iV sight. The Kafir looked back once more, then 

(topped- 

li' " We are quite safe," he cried. " I was right ; the 
jlreat captain is stone-blind." 

I BHndness, partial or complete, is terribly rife among 
|ie African elephants ; and such as are afflicted with it 
Jiuide themselves entirely by sense of touch and smell. 
(j Leaving the Kafir to engage their pursuer's attention, 
['he Enghshman ran on a Httle farther, then stopped, 
oaded both barrels again, and returned to the charge. 
Afflicted though he was, the elephant would not let the 
I'-Cafir get near enough to stab him ; and, as this was his 
ast weapon, the fellow durst not risk throwing it. Dodging 
, round and round, the keen-scented animal kept his enemy 
i^t bay, and might have got off scot-free eventually but 
for a bullet from Steedman's gun, which pierced him 
[through the eye. 

The two hurried back to the hunt, to find that a few 
elephants had turned and safely regained the ravine, 
j while the rest were dead or dying ; and the natives were 
: now about to secure what they had come hunting for — 
j the tusks. But first two little ceremonies had to be gone 
I through with becoming decency and reverence. The 
I tuft at the end of each animal's tail was cut off and pre- 
sented with great solemnity to the chief ; these tufts 
^ would, in due course, be fixed on poles and placed at 
i the entrance of that gentleman's cattle-pen. Next, the 

127 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED 

spirits of the departed elephants had to be conciliatedi 
and this was done by cutting off the tip of each ear and 
trunk, and ceremoniously burying them. Finally the 
tusks were extracted, and the carcasses were left to the 
dogs and vultures. 

When two Kafirs had performed all these operations 
on the bHnd elephant, which Steedman could lawfully 
claim as his, he decided to dissect the beast for scientific 
purposes ; but when this intention was made clear to; 
the blacks, their very wool bristled with horror at such ani 
indignity to the deceased ; and no amount of persuasion, 
bribes, or threats would prevail on any of the tribe toi 
help him in such a task, which, accordingly, was not* 
carried out. i 

The rhinoceros is both unlovely and unreasonable.! 
We have seen that even the hon and the leopard, if left 
alone, are in the main harmless to man ; but this surly 
beast is Hable to sudden fits of irritation, during which 
it is better to give him a wide berth. An insect stings 
him (for, thick as his hide is, it has its tender parts), or 
a fly gets in his eye, or a blade of grass up his nostril ; , 
the result is that, hopelessly ignorant of the law of cause i 
and effect, he vents his ill-humour on whatever may be s 
in his way, charging at a gate-post or a tree or a man, « 
or even a brother pachyderm, with delightful impartiality, c 
The Rev. J. G. Wood cites an instance of one of them 
attacking, while in this mood, a number of picketed 
horses, and ruthlessly slaying several with his horn. 
Bearing this temper of his in mind, we are bound to 
sympathize with the hunter who makes it his business 
to destroy such a public nuisance. 

128 



WILD BEASTS 

J As to this horn which forms the animal's chief weapon 
ij defence and offence, it should be pointed out that it 
|s no connexion with the bony framework of the head ; 
J is rather a sort of corn or wart, and could easily be 
fmoved with a sharp carving-knife. But having thus 
ien operated on, the rhinoceros would not be entirely 
fenceless, for his great strength, weight, and speed 
ibuld still render him almost as dangerous an adversary 
ik the elephant himself. 

3 There are several varieties of the African rhinoceros ; 
nt it will be sufficient to say that there are two black 
inds — one large and one small — and that, till recently, 
liere were also two " white " or smoke-coloured kinds, 
tie larger white rhinoceros is still occasionally met with 
I South Africa, and ranks next to the elephant among 
tod mammals in point of size. This species has two 
?brns ; the hind one a few inches long, the other anything 
p to four feet. The late Roualeyn Gordon Gumming 
vhose rhinoceros-hunting adventures the present writer 
■ps, related elsewhere*) killed one of these animals whose 
' )re-horn measured five feet two inches. 

The east side of Africa, from Abyssinia down to the 
' ape, is the. special home of the rhinoceros, though per- 
i,:.stent hunting is gradually centrahzing him midway 
jietween the two, and in a few years he will probably be 
^uite extinct. In the time of the great explorer James 
jiruce, Abyssinia was overrun with them, particularly 
jhe two black species ; and he describes the native method 
If hunting them. Two men, one armed with a long spear, 
he other with a sword, lay in wait for the animal on the 
■dge of a wood, both seated on one horse, while dogs 

I * See " Adventures in the Great Deserts." 

129 I . 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED 

were sent in to worry him from his retirement among h 
trees into the open. As soon as he appeared, the m' 
with the lance, who sat foremost in the saddle, guic 
his horse towards the irritated brute and tried to pie 
him in his most vulnerable part— the left flank. Mc 
often than not this attempt was fruitless, for, ungair 
as he is, the beast moves at immense speed, and can tu 
with surprising ease. On catching sight of a fresh f 
he would trample a way through the dogs that crow^ 
round him, and make a mad rush for the horse. 

But all this had been foreseen. The spearman, 
expert rider, had only to draw his horse to one side, a: 
the rhinoceros, unable to stop himself for the mome] 
shot straight past. But he was soon ready to turn aga 
and to make once more for the horse. Here he h 
reckoned without the man with the sword. He, slippL 
down from behind his companion just as the horse w, 
drawn to one side to avoid the charge, proceeded to ri| 
after the rhinoceros, and before the creature was awa 
of his presence, had with one swift stroke of his swo] 
severed the large muscle of the ham just above the hoc^. 
and the hunt was finished, barring the " death "; for tl 
rhinoceros fell either on his knees or on his side, 'and U 
roaring, screaming, and powerless ; and a score of ml 
were soon at hand to stab him to death. f 

\ 
The hippopotamus, a giant twelve feet long, is ei 
clusively an African beast, and, like the rhinoceros, 
but rarely found nowadays ; even as far back as ISSj 
there were but two left in the Cape Colony, and thes 
were preserved as curiosities. He is still seen occasional! ! 
m the northern parts of South Africa, the Congo Stat. 

130 




Hunting the Rhinoceros 



In Abyssinia two hunters, one armed with a spear, the other with a sword, are 
mounted on the same horse. The one with the spear goads the animal to charge, and 
as the huge brute thunders past, the man with the sword slips down and severs its 
hamstring. 



i WILD BEASTS 

[id the country of the Niger Basin. In the 'fifties he 
ias common enough in the latter district, and often 
psed a good deal of trouble to the H.M.S. Pleiad 
Kploring expedition under Dr. Baikie, R.N. 
j Dr. Baikie, it may be remembered, succeeded to the 
bmmand of the Pleiad man-of-war schooner on the 
teath of the Captain, and took her up the Niger and 
tenue, proceeding two hundred and fifty miles farther 
jiland than any of his predecessors had done. He found 
Qe hippopotamus in very bad odour among the natives, 
lespite the peaceable character which most travellers 
lave given to the animal. This might spring from the 
iatural horror that the blacks have of the great river 
lonster, based on the ghastly tales of his dealings with 
nan that have been handed down from father to son ; 
lir it might arise from the very real grievance which they 
lad against him on account of his attacks on their sugar- 
anes ; or, again, it might be (and probably was) that the 
legro's inordinate love of hippopotamus-meat, and his 
lesire to barter the skin and tusks, make him seize upon 
iny excuse for killing him by fair means or foul. 

Baikie met with two native methods of destroying the 
sreature — neither of them particularly sportsmanlike — 
.raps and poisoned arrows. On the banks of the Benue 
le soon learned to know the track of the hippopotamus, 
md to avoid it, not from fear of the animal so much as 
{)f the horribly dangerous trap which was fairly certain 
Ito be somewhere in the neighbourhood. This consisted 
)f a few poles planted firmly in the ground in a rough 
3ircle, slanting upwards till the tops almost met. Lightly 
aeld by these tops was a heavy perpendicular beam, shod 
iwith a sharp iron point. In theory, this mighty engine 

131 I 2 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED 

descended on the head or neck of the river-horse as 1 
poked about among the canes, seeking the juicy shoo 
which his soul loves ; in practice, it was far more like] 
to tumble on the first unwary foot - passenger wh, 
happened to pass under it. 

From the schooner the doctor beheld a native huri 
which was interesting enough in its way. The blacky 
in their canoes, awaited the puffing, snorting sound whic^ 
announced that a hippopotamus was swimming somt^ 
where near, and then steered for the most likely spot a 
which to get a sure aim at him with least danger to them, 
selves. This was but common prudence, for a hipp(j 
potamus makes no more trouble of biting the side out c 
a boat, and thus offering the crocodiles a gratuitous mea, 
than a monkey does of cracking a nut. 

As soon as the hapless beast came into open water h^ 
found himself surrounded by canoes, and before he coul^ 
decide which way to turn, twenty poisoned arrows wer 
sticking all over him. True, this was a wasteful way o 
kiUing him, for a dead hippopotamus almost always sink 
for at least six hours, and during that time the poisoi 
from the arrows has had a chance to distribute itself am 
spoil the meat ; but when the animal was thus killed whilf 
on the bank or in the mud, he was at once skinned anc 
quartered, the arrows were removed, and the meat wai 
apparently fit for human food. Those who have trieq 
it say that the flesh of a fat young beast is as tender as 
veal, and far more tasty. 

While on the Upper Benue, Dr. Baikie came to closeh 
quarters with some of these monsters than was pleasant 
One evening, while the schooner lay at anchor, he wanted- 
to land to make some astronomical observations. 

132 



WILD BEASTS 

aall islet, four feet above the water, lay to wind- 
ward of the Pleiad, and seemed a convenient place for 
=^e doctor's purpose ; accordingly, he and a couple of 
fecers got into the cutter and made their Krumen pull 
^em ashore. On landing, they had some difficulty in 
iding a clear spot on which to stand the sextant and 
'jiher mathematical instruments, and, while the Krumen 
'ere trampling down the long grass and bushes to make 
ich a place, Baikie examined their bearings by the Hght 
\ a bull's-eye lantern. Just as the officers called to him 
-tiat all was' ready, a hoarse bellow that shook the island 
'ame from among the reeds, and his hght fell on the form 
t a hippopotamus coming towards him. 
f Baikie at once shut off the hght and hurried back to 
is companions. Unfortunately, the Krumen were un- 
armed, and the officers had but their swords and revolvers, 
(nd this was not the worst ; thick clouds were forming, 
nd if the explorers retreated, the chances were that all 
'ope of taking the latitude would be gone. And if they 

^ id not retreat 

■ The doctor hurriedly explained that the beast was 

'oming towards them. 

^ " Ah ! then him frightened. Him charge !" said one 

ff the Krumen who understood Enghsh. This was 

Reassuring. A sohtary male hippopotamus is dangerous 

It the best of times, and never more so than when startled ; 

^m such an occasion he will seize a human body in his 

jmormous jaws and bite till his teeth meet. 

i « Show light," urged the Kruman. " Light frighten 

'^lim back." 

^, The doctor flashed the bull's-eye into the canes once 
'nore ; certainly it had the effect of stopping the beast. 

133 

III 



HUNTING THICK-SKINNED 

but he opened his cavernous mouth and roared in a mann^ 
that would make any unarmed man quail. Baikie looked 
at his watch ; in ten minutes the planet Jupiter, for whosi 
appearance they were waiting, was due. 

" We must risk it," he whispered. " One of yov 
fellows take the lantern while I see after the instruments.' 

The doctor was dividing his attentions between hi 
watch, the sextant, and the clouds, when the lanten 
flashed round like a searchlight, and the officer who heki 
it ejaculated, " Good Lord ! here's another of 'em "; and^ 
as he spoke, a second roaring on the other side of thetf 
began. This was too much for the Krumen ; withou' 
waiting for permission, they sprang into the cutter, and 
but for the gleam of a revolver barrel which was tromptlj 
pointed at them by the unoccupied officer, they woulc 
have rowed off, 

Baikie looked at his watch again ; seven minutes, at th( 
very least, to wait ! The lantern was dodging from righl 
to left ; the hippopotami were engaged in a concert oi 
roars, and every now and then the reeds rustled as though 
one of them had decided to bring matters to a head, 
Each of those minutes seemed as long as a month, and 
by way of cheering the Englishmen up, the Krumen sat 
quaking and whining, seemingly on the watch for the 
first opportunity to escape. I 

Suddenly there was a tremendous splash in the watei 
to the right, 

" One of 'em gone, thank goodness !" exclaimed the 
doctor. 

"No such luck," whispered the lieutenant who held 
the lantern. " That was a leopard ; I've had my eye and 
the light on him for the last minute ; if I'd spoken, he 

134 



I WILD BEASTS 

jjight have sprung, and the niggers would have left us 
c| it. Bravo ! One gone at last." As he spoke, one 
J the intruders reaUzed that he could escape by water, 

id did so. But the other roared more loudly than ever, 

ad advanced a yard or two. 

"If he comes a step farther I'll send a bullet down that 
n^roat of his," said the Heutenant with the revolver. 
I "Don't you be a young fool," muttered the doctor. 
iji'Ha ! Saved, by— Jupiter !" 

] At Baikie's involuntary shout at the appearance of the 
lanet, the hippopotamus growled in a rumbling sort of 
jay ; then turned and disappeared in the water, leaving 
m courageous trio masters of the field. 



135 



CHAPTER XI 

LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

Misleading terminology.— Leopard or panther ?— The animal's qualities! 
—Attitude towards man.— M. Bombonnel's terrible experience.— < 
Waiting on a dark night for a leopard.— A hand-to-hand struggle.[ 
—Bombonnel's predicament when found.— The West African 
leopard or panther.— Mr. John Duncan's experiences of panther- 
trapping.— A leopard's " larder."— Traps.— Panther-baiting with! 
dogs.— Hunting the Indian leopard.— Mr. G. T. Vigne.— Terror oi 
the elephants.— A bold English huntress.— The leopard " treed."- ' 
Noblesse oblige.~The cheetah, or hunting -leopard. 

A VERY common fault among both ancient and modern! 
travellers is that of misnaming, or applying a purely: 
local name or slang-term to, the animals, or birds, or plants, 
or geographical features that have come under their 
notice. Thus, when a hunter, describing his adventures, 
in print, speaks of having killed a tiger or a leopard in; 
South America, and a Hon or a buffalo or a panther in 
the Western States, the reader, whose natural history] 
book tells him that these animals are quite unknown in. 
the localities mentioned, is not a little bewildered. : 

The leopard is never found elsewhere than in the middle ! 
and south-eastern portions of the Eastern Hemisphere— i 
that is to say, Africa, parts of the Caucasus, and South and ; 
Central Asia. J 

136 



[leopard and panther hunting 

iThe panther, again, is an African beast, though not 
bknown in South-Eastern Asia, and must not be con- 
iised with what the American trapper calls the " painter," 
Ihich may be either a jaguar or a puma. The panther 
I simply a somewhat larger form of leopard, occasionally 
t a darker shade ; and, though it was at one time re- 
krded as a separate species, all modern naturahsts look 
Ipon panther and leopard as being even less distinct 
jian, for instance, the grizzly and the American black 
jtear. 

I In beauty of marking, elegance of form, and suppleness 
5^ movement, the leopard has few, if any, superiors in the 
sinimal world ; in ferocity and relative strength he has 
'';3w equals. An animal that can make a forty-foot leap 
fvith tolerable ease ; that can carry off a pig, a couple of 
(logs, and half a score of poultry in one night ; that has 
')een known to slay a man with a single stroke of his paw, 
^nd that does not hesitate to attack even an elephant 
!vhen brought to bay ; above all, that can climb almost as 
well as any cat or monkey, is scarcely to be considered as 
=.m agreeable neighbour ; and it is no wonder that the man 
:vvho is destined to live within reach of so formidable a 
jreature should bring his invention to bear on its speedy 
^destruction. The very beauty of the beast's skin, too, 
jis a constant temptation to the hunter and trapper, 
^whether civihzed or unciviHzed ; for as an ornament to an 
JEnghsh hall or to the shoulders of an African chief, it is 
alike valuable. 

« The leopard has the same underlying dread of human- 
-kind as is found in all the Felidce ; and there is scarcely a 
(Single authentic instance of a man's being unprovokedly 
[attacked by him. Children he has been known to seize 

137 



LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

and to devour, but happily even those cases are rare, i 
But when once he is wounded or balked, the lion is i 
not a whit more terrible than he. Moreover, few animals 
have a greater hold on life. If it were not for indisputable 
testimony, it would be difficult to believe that a leopard, 
wounded by half a dozen bullets, to say nothing of in-' 
numerable spear- thrusts, could spring upon, bear down,{ 
and often slay one or more of his tormentors ; yet suchj 
is the case. The moral is obvious : unless you are certain 
of killing the beast at a single shot, keep out of his way.' 
An adventure which befell M. Bombonnel, an eminent 
scientist and one of the most successful big-game hunters? 
France ever produced, is an apt illustration of this fact. ] 

While shooting in Algeria, M. Bombonnel was told one? 
night that a leopard had just made a sudden descent on^ 
a neighbouring pen, and had carried off a full-grown goat.lii 
Caring nothing for the fact that the night was dark and 
chilly, and the moon not yet up, the intrepid hunter 
seized his gun and hurried after his informant to the Arab 
camp which the beast had visited. Delighted at finding 
some one bold enough to attack so terrible an enemy to 
the tribe, the Arabs made ready to conduct the French- 1 
man to the spot where the thief had been seen to dis- 
appear. Taking with them another goat as a lure in 
case of need, they led him across a plain overgrown with 
scrub, to the mouth of a ravine five hundred yards away ij 
from their camp. >\ 

Here Bombonnel took his stand on a bit of high ground, x 
from which he could look down into the gloomy, unin- 
viting depths of the ravine. The natives, not enamoured i 
either of the task or the neighbourhood, made all speed i 
to tether the goat at a distance of about twenty yards to i. 

J 



^.EOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

!|e hunter's left, and then, wishing him well out of his 
iidertaking, fled back to their camp. 
■[Before the Frenchman had been waiting five minutes, 
Here was a stealthy movement among the trees on his 
Ift front, though stiU he could see nothing. Then came 
■ whirring sound, followed almost immediately by a 
j^spairing bleat, which was abruptly stifled while still 
Jaly half uttered. The leopard had discovered and taken 

lie bait. 

j Praying ardently that the moon, which was now almost 
f^e, would show him a ray of light, the hunter strained 
^ eyes in vain for a sight of the game. For a minute 
t two the suspense was unendurable, for a leopard, even 
sihen his attention is otherwise engaged, is not the com- 
:ianion one would choose on a dark night. At length, 
however, a black, shapeless mass could be seen moving, 
iot actually towards him, but as though making for a 
Ifoint about ten feet in front of where he stood. 
: For more than a month M. Bombonnel had been sacri- 
iicing his night's rest in vain, on the chance of getting a 
:(hot at one of these animals ; and now that that chance 
iad at last come, he needed all his coolness and presence 
»rf mind to keep him from rushing headlong into danger, 
[kearer and nearer came the dim outhne, till, by holding 
luis gun at arm's length, he could almost have touched it. 
ko longer hesitating, he pulled one of the triggers, 
kgonized roars of pain came from the dark object, which 
ipaused and seemed to fall completely in halves ; for the 
eopard instantly loosed his hold of the goat. Then 
:he echo of the roaring died away, and there was dead 
silence. Fearing to attract attention to himself, the 
hunter stood breathless, his finger on the second trigger, 
S 139 



LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

watching for a sign of further life on the part of th 
leopard. Half a minute passed without a sound from th^ 
fallen beast ; then another half -minute, at the end o 
which Bombonnel concluded that the shot had been fatafl 
, Thereupon, creeping inch by inch from his hiding-placel 
and still keeping his gun at the shoulder, he began to mak<1 
for the spot where— his eyes being now more accustome(^ 
to the darkness— he could see the two animals lyinr 
motionless. i 

Then, without any warning growl or snarl, one of thf 
two dark bodies rose in the air, and Bombonnel knew thai' 
an infuriated leopard was making for him. He fired' 
blindly, missed, and in an instant the terrible creatur^ 
had borne him to the ground and was snarhng over him,' 
tearing viciously with his teeth at the woollen hood and^ 
coat-collar that protected the hunter's neck. '^^ 

Striving might and main to hold his assailant at armV 
length with his left hand, the unhappy man fumbled with^ 
his right for the hunting-knife that now lay underneath' 
him. But the leopard's fangs were clenched on the' 
wrist that was holding him, and the awful sickle-shaped* 
claws fixed themselves in his victim's shoulder, so that 
Bombonnel could only with difficulty refrain from shriek- 
ing with the pain of it all ; and, abandoning the hope of 
disengaging his knife, he sought to wrestle with the 
enemy. This was useless, for, after a second of blood- 
curdhng suspense, a breath of hot, fetid air spread over- 
his forehead, and, before he dared think of what was'' 
happening, the brute had the whole of his face in its ^ 
mouth, and was crushing his jaws and cheek-bones^ 
together. t 

Bombonnel knew that now was his last chance of resist- 

140 i 



p:.EOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

,[ice ; tame submission on his part would mean that he 
&,d scarce thirty seconds to live. Neglectful, in his 
tcitement, of the torturing pains in his wrist and 
loulders that at any other time would have beer, sufficient 
? render him dehrious, he grasped the animal by its thick, 
.rawny neck, and, with the strength of a maniac, 
Jrenched away the teeth and jaws that were lacerating 
;ad crushing him to death. 

Thus foiled for a moment, the animal jerked his head 
j'ee and made a dog-Uke snap at Bombonnel's left arm, 
||riving his teeth through the thick cloth that covered 
!;, well into the elbow. But this was a mere trifle now 
^at the prostrate man had got his head free again, 
jrripping the leopard's throat still tighter with his right 
^iand, he threw all the muscular force that remained to 
im into one desperate outward jerk of his arm. The 
eeth were snatched out of his elbow, and the leopard, 
pidth a yell of spite, was hurled down the slope at the top 
jf which the hunter lay. 

ji Faint and giddy, and with his mouth full of blood and 
-j^osened teeth, Bombonnel staggered to his feet ; and 
, .ow, irresponsible between pain and rage and the feeling 
.hat he had not many hours to live, he seized his hunting- 
■fniie, and went stumbHng down the incline in search of the 
i;»rute that had apparently cost him his life. Here, roaming 
.bout Hke a man that had taken leave of his senses, the 
Arabs found him ; for his involuntary cries and the 
^avage roars of the leopard had made themselves heard 
>ven at the camp. 

. The body of the leopard, which had probably died 
rom loss of blood, was eventually found just inside the 
I'avine. Bombonnel for some time lay at a farm-house, 
Ri 141 



LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING I 

hovering between life and death ; and though eventual!; I 
he recovered, and Hved to slay many more leopard^ 
he never again risked a hand-to-hand combat with on* 
of them. 

In the West of Africa, round about Dahomey an 
Ashantee, the leopard — or panther, as most BritisF' 
travellers there have named him — is the bane of ever} 
native stock-keeper's existence ; for he is a most intelli 
gent beast, sly as a fox, and almost as difficult to trap 
The celebrated explorer, John Duncan, British Vice- 
Consul at Whydah in 1849, has a good deal to tell uf^ 
about the depredations of this creature, and also of the 
native West African methods of killing or snaring him. i 

The ravages committed in his neighbourhood hf 
panthers among the sheep, cattle, and poultry, piqued 
his curiosity as to what became of so much live-stock \\ 
and one day, at the close of a native hunt, he took the" 
trouble to climb into the fork of a tree in which a leopardess 
— or " pantheress " — had been shot. And here he foundl 
what has often been described as a " leopard's larder." 
Here were stored, neatly and methodically, a bull's head,: 
sundry fowls, half a dog, and the best part of a goat, alll 
carefully covered with leaves and twigs. I 

For the native who had killed the animal no praise-^ 
was too great, his fellow-tribesmen lauding him to the*l 
skies as their hero and deliverer ; for here, as in South^' 
Africa, a negro's true title to manhood is the fact of his 
having slain a leopard. Indeed, among the Kafirs, a 
man who can show half a dozen leopard's tails is almost^ 
a prince de facto. 

As a rule Duncan found that the negroes were too much 
in fear of their enemy to attack him boldly, even with guns ; 

U2 



LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

I 

\iej much preferred setting traps for him. The principal 

(jrawback to some of these was that they could not be 
jiaite guaranteed not to catch some unsuspecting man 
p beast that happened to be wandering near them ; and 
Aore than once an inoffensive ox was thus not only 
Jiught, but permanently injured. The ordinary snare 
insisted of two upright poles, seven feet high and about 
lie same distance apart, across the tops of which a heavy 
[jbg or beam was loosely laid. From this beam protruded 
^1 row of sharp teeth made of hard wood, and underneath 
i, hidden in the grass, was a wooden lever connected by 
prds with the ends of the beam ; so that any unwary 
'kiimal that stepped on the lever was tolerably certain of 
|nding about three hundredweight of wood precipitated 
;|n its back or head. 

; By the more rustic population this form of trap was 
boked upon with great contempt as the futile invention 
if mere Cockney sportsmen. In the outlying villages, 
jOuncan found the people not only apt and successful 
t setting snares, but also given to a Uttle sportive baiting 
,1 the animal thus captured with dogs. The favourite 
,rap was a stout wooden cage, twenty feet long and only 
iwo broad, at the far end of which a live kid was tethered. 
.Ittracted by its bleating, the hapless leopard that was 
i'n the look-out for an easily procured meal came sniffing 
jtt that end of the trap at which the poor kid was crouch- 
ing. Finding that he could not get at his victim through 
jlie stout bars, the hungry beast at last abandoned his 
isual caution, and going to the other end, dashed reck- 
essly through the opening. But before he had pro- 
eeded a dozen yards, his foot had encountered a lever, 
ji,nd this, on being pressed, pulled a cord that at once 
I 143 



LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

released a heavy " drop-door," which shd easily dow: 
its groove, and effectually cut off the trespasser's n 
treat. {tl 

In the morning, attracted by the dismayed howls o 
the captive, the whole village would turn out, and having 
anathematized the prisoner, — reminding him, fol 
instance, of the fine heifer he had stolen the other nighlfi 
or of the beautiful brood of chickens he had so ruthlesslj 
slaughtered — would proceed to stir up the wretch to I 
pitch of frenzy with poles or spears. Finally a dog woul(j( 
be thrust through the entrance and urged to attack thti 
beast, which, of course, could not turn in so small a com!' 
pass, and which, but for its formidable hind claws, wai 
at the dog's mercy — unless that animal's " vaultir(ji 
ambition " should chance to " o'erleap itself," as wouljii 
occasionally happen, when, tired of worrying the haunches' 
of the captive, he would spring clean over his back, t 
find the tables exactly reversed. In such a case a secon4' 
dog was quickly hustled through the trap-door, ani 
while the infuriated panther mangled the first with hii 
teeth, the new-comer proceeded to persecute him fro 
behind till he fell down exhausted. « 

1 



I 



The Asiatic leopard is not distinguishable from thi ^ 
African variety, and is no less ferocious and cunning 
(A slight exception must be made in the case of th( ' 
Javanese animal known as the Black Leopard, but here • 
the distinction is merely one of colour, this kind possess- ' 
ing a coat of much darker shade than that of the better 
known species.) 

Of the Indian leopard's courage and intelHgence a very" 
good picture is given by the late George Thomas Vigne — 

144 



( 



Leopard and panther hunting 

'i his day a well-known English barrister and traveller, 
)|d a friend of Outram's. While staying at an Indian 
[litary station, he was invited by some British officers 
ila leopard-hunt, which was to be carried on on elephant- 
^Ick. Outside the village from which they started, the 
)inters encountered one or two badly maimed pariah 
(igs, and, further on, the carcass of one of these animals, 
lliich the busy jackals had not yet cleared away— a sure 
n that a leopard was somewhere in the vicinity. For, 
Ln though the pariah is not a favourite dish of his, he 
Lrds it as a useful " stand-by," should other victuals 
iU. When there is no promise of a more succulent diet, 
^ artful leopard will hang about the outskirts of a 
ilage at night, howling and snarling in a manner that, 
]: is perfectly well aware, will bring out all the pariahs 
jtthin miles— and their name is generally legion. These 
iUe baying and yelping round him, retreating when 
j shows signs of approaching, and advancing whenever 
seems inchned to flee. Suddenly the leopard, in a 
pie of springs, is in the very midst of the pack, and 
iore they can escape, has generally wounded, if not 
iin, three or four, and is off to his lair with one of them 
his teeth. 

As the hunting-party came to the verge of a shghtly 
loded tract of land the elephants (of which there were 
jree) began to evince every sign of uneasiness, and that 
J which Mr. Vigne was riding required all its mahoufs 
Laments and endearments to persuade it to go farther. 
I the howdah with Vigne were two officers and an Enghsh 
ly, and so great was the elephant's terror that these 
^ire rocked backwards and forwards, and jostled together 
I though they were in a storm-tossed boat. 

145 K 



LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

Then, looking downwards, the mahout uttered an 63^ 
clamation and pointed excitedly to the rear of a busli 
where a magnificent leopard was sleepily stretching hint 
self. One of the young officers cocked his gun, but th 
lady, crying gaily, " No ; I claim the first shot," aimed a 
the beast, fired — and missed. Instantly the leopar 
sprang forward in sudden fright at the report, and, stridin' 
away, was soon out of sight. 

The elephants now seemed as anxious for the chase a 
before they were averse to it, and they thundered merrili 
through the brushwood and over the short dry grass as i*] 
they enjoyed their task. But they had gone barely | 
quarter of a mile when they were seized with the sam t 
extraordinary terror as before ; and after endeavouring tv 
turn tail and flee, they halted obstinately and stoo(| 
quivering. i 

" He must be in one of these trees," said one of thi 
Englishmen, looking round him. I, 

Vigne began to feel decidedly uncomfortable. To h\ 
imprisoned on the back of an elephant that persisted ii| 
remaining stationary just in a position where an exasj 
perated, if not a hungry, leopard may conveniently droj 
on to you from a tree is not consoling. 

For a long time every one eagerly scanned the branches 
of the two or three nearest trees in vain ; for the leoparc 
seems to be perfectly conscious that his peculiar marking 
is in itself a protection where, on a thickly fohaged tree 
it would take the keenest of eyes to distinguish betweec 
his spots and the leaves. i 

" I see him," whispered the lady suddenly, pointing tc 
the prong made by the junction of the trunk with the 
second lowest of the boughs of the nearest tree. There 

146 




A Cool Huntress 



The lady's first shot missed, but the second one wounded the leopard. The infuriated 
animal hurled himself like a shapeless cannon ball at the huntress, but missed his aim, 
and was then shot through the brain by the plucky little woman. 



Ieopard and panther hunting 

I animal was spread out in comfortable assurance that 
icould not be reached by bullet or spear. Nor could 
Ihave been if the hunters had been on foot ; for no sane 
!son would have dared to fire at him from the ground, 
iltered as he was by the broad hmb of the tree from any 
p a trifling wound. 

but from the howdah it was another matter. There 
'p only a difference in elevation of about five feet 
Iween him and his pursuers, nor was the spot where 
tne's (the nearest) elephant was standing more than 
jbnty feet from the tree-trunk. 

Ipnatching up a double-barrelled gun, the lady again 
ijd, and, this time, hit what she was aiming at. Then 
me a scream from the driver, and a vigorous trumpet- 
5 from the elephant, which promptly backed ; while it 
kmed to Vigne as though a shapeless black cannon-ball 
lire coming straight at him : for the leopard, wounded 
the right ribs, had made a spring at the shooter. The 
phant only backed just in time : the leopard had judged 
\ leap to a nicety, and must have pitched clean on the 
(ihout's head ; as it was, he fell to the ground a foot or 
iio away from the elephant's fore-feet. The terrified 
iver lost no time in scrambling into the howdah, where 
igne and the officers stood waiting for the chance of a 

|Ot. 

But once more the lady pressed forward, and said 
Dlly, " Let me take my second shot, please." 
As she spoke, both elephant and howdah rocked 
blently, and in another moment the head of the un- 
unted leopard appeared within an inch of where the 
ihout had been seated, and, digging his claws mercilessly 
to the maddened elephant's hide, he was making ready 

147 K 2 



i 



LEOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING? \ 

'. ■ 

in a determined manner for a further spring at thi 
occupants of the howdah. 

The men looked blankly at each other ; to stand by an | 
let the enraged brute run amok among them was carryii| 
courtesy and the noblesse oblige maxim rather far. Bm 
the plucky Httle woman now lost no time in getting he 
second barrel into action ; and before the report of her she 
had died away, the leopard fell lifeless to the groun^ 
pierced through eye and brain. 

Much might be written about the cheetah, or hunting 
leopard, an animal that in days gone by has been a grea 
source of trouble to zoologists with an itch for scrupulous! 
correct classification. For though this beast is to ai 
intents and purposes a leopard, he has no more idea tha^ 
a horse of climbing a tree or of tearing his prey with h| 
claws. His true place is no doubt among the cats, but h 
differs from all of them in having claws much more hkj 
those of a dog, and consequently unfitted for chmbing oi 
rending. In appearance he is simply a slightly built 
leopard, his tail, however, being ringed instead of spotted. 
He is commonly found in both Africa and Asia, but the 
inhabitants of the former continent have never succeeded 
in taming and training him as, for untold centuries, the 
Asiatics have done. Consequently the African cheetah 
is the only variety that can be regarded as exclusively wild. 

This animal seems fully conscious of his physical 
defects : his leaping power is poor when compared to the 
leopard's ; he is by no means fleet of foot, and he possesses 
no great powers of endurance. Therefore he carries on 
his hunting by means of an elaborate system of hiding, 
crouching, and making unexpected springs, his favourite 

148 



.EOPARD AND PANTHER HUNTING 

arry being the antelope. The great point in his favour 
:hat he will never attack a human being, and will not 
I3n kill or molest so much as a deer, unless he is hungry, 
unless — as is the case with the Persian and Indian 
petah — he has been specially educated by man for such 
'purpose. 



149 



CHAPTER XII 

ADVENTURES AMONG JACKALS AND HYENAS 

The jackal or tschakkal. — A virtue which he shares with the hyaena.- 
The Hon the jackal's provider. — A night in the Sahara. — Straqi 
sight seen by Richardson. — Begging jackals. — When the jackal] 
dangerous. — Mi'. Elhott's adventure with a solitary jackal. — 11 
hyaena. — A disgusting beast. — Some other sights seen by Richa« 
son. — John Duncan of Wliydah. — The pakatoo. — The animal's in 
mense strength. — Between fever, mosquitoes, starvation, and beii 
eaten alive. — Duncan's terrible experience with the wolf-hyaena.- 
Cut oflf from his weapons. — Holding out till aid comes. — Saved I 
his servant's arrival. 

The jackal (which word is a corruption of the Arabi 
tschakkal) is simply a wild dog, and if we include him in, 
the same chapter with the hyaena, it is less on account 
of the possible relationship between the two than becausft'l 
of their being near neighbours geographically, and oii 
their sharing in common a virtue which should makei 
man to some extent tolerant of them. As to the questio^ 
of relationship, the hysena no doubt forms a sort of bridg 
between the cat and the dog tribes. 

This common virtue alluded to is their readiness ta 
act as scavengers and street-cleaners, and without themij 
the South and East would be fifty times more subject toi 
every kind of plague than they are already. Not a dajij 

150 



AMONG JACKALS AND HYiENAS 

'i 

tisses there but some animal dies naturally or by violence, 
|id these useful creatures are always on hand to eat or 
fmove the carcass, which, after a few hours' exposure to 
i tropical sun, would render the neighbourhood both 
itolerable and poisonous. 

I The jackal is found pretty much throughout Africa 

! nd the hot parts of Asia ; in appearance he is a strange 

i lixture of fox, wolf, and coUie ; his height at the shoulder 

about fifteen inches. The old story of his being the 

on's provider, which has come down to us from the 

ncient Indian scientists, is rather laughed at by the 

lodern traveller, and James Richardson, the African 

splorer, assures us that the boot is quite on the other 

rig : that packs of jackals follow the Hon at a respectful 

fistance to " clear up after him " — in other words, to 

ilevour whatever he may be pleased to leave of the animal 

hat he has slain. 

While Richardson was being detained in the Sahara, 
le and his European companions were one night startled 
%j some inexphcable cries unhke anything he had ever 
;ieard before. Dr. Overweg suggested that they might 
Droceed from jackals, but Richardson had many a time 
; ome in contact with these animals, and doubted 
[he resemblance of this noise to their characteristic 
i)ark. 

J The night was a bitterly cold one, more characteristic of 
i^ussia than the Sahara ; and, while waiting for their Arab 
guides to return from an errand to an adjacent native 
3amp, the explorers gathered what wood they could find, 
a,nd soon made a blazing fire. No sooner had this well 
3aught than the mysterious noise increased tenfold, and, 
boming nearer, grew more and more like the ordinary 

151 



I 



ADVENTURES AMONG JACKALS ' 

howl of a jackal-pack. Richardson picked up a gu 
and stepped warily beyond the range of the firelight ; bi 
the night was too dark for him to see anything excef 
an indistinct moving blur, and he returned to tl 
fire once more, not wishing to be too far from safet 
when the neighbouring lions came on their nightl 
rounds. 

Suddenly a glare of flame shot up some distance awajr 
evidently the newly lit fire of some encamping caravai 
The flame glowed and spread, and by its light the travelleij 
soon distinguished fifty small animal forms that ha< 
stationed themselves on a spot midway between the twi 
fires — jackals beyond a doubt. j 

"But what are they doing? Look at them!" crie( 
Richardson. 

All three men rose, and ran a few steps towards the 
creatures in order to get a better view. The jackals 
were nearly all on their hind-legs in a " begging " attitude^j 
with paws extended, 

"What does that mean ?" asked the Englishman 
an Arab servant who now approached them. 

The Arab looked, and then said, laughing heartilj| 
" They are only warming themselves. Did you not kno 
by their strange cries that they Avere cold ?" 

" What ! warming themselves fifty yards away from i 
fire ?" 

The Arab laughed again, and explained that "jackala, 
not daring to come near the flame, yet feeling cold, are 
in the habit of holding up their fore-paws in imitation ot 
men whom they have seen spreading out their hands to 
a blaze." 

As an instance of the ease with which these creatures 

152 



I 



i 

I AND HYENAS 

'jp. be at least partially tamed, Richardson found that, 
,[ the least encouragement, several of them would allow 
rlemselves to be tempted quite near to the camp, and 
|Len bits of meat were thrown to them, they would " sit 
ij) and beg for more." 

! So long as jackals remain in packs they give man Httle 
i^use to dishke them, for their attentions are in the main 
^mfined to "clearing up," or to hunting down an occa- 
ional antelope. The latter form of diversion is carried 
,^1 by a systematic running down of the game, and driving 
y towards some precipice, over which the terrified animal 
lb last leaps in despair ; and the pack, sweeping down 
|We side-path, speedily devour the maimed or Ufeless 
)ody. They will also smell out and run down any 
'ounded animal, falling upon him without mercy. 
> But it is when the jackal elects to separate himself, 
Either entirely or temporarily, from his kind that he gets 
:fito man's bad books. At such times he develops into 
,. burglar, body-snatcher, poacher, and sheep-lifter, and 
ito, sooner or later, meets his just doom. Mr. C. B. Elliott, 
, clever archaeologist and naturahst, more than once 
,.ame in contact with one of these soUtary jackals in Egypt. 
On one occasion he found that a stirrup-leather was 
Inissing from his tent, and, not long after, some cold 
rations and an uncooked bird vanished. Having no reason 
:o suspect his servant of the theft, he lay in wait one even- 
ng, hidden behind a temporary screen of spare canvas. 
Tired of his watching, he was at last nodding off to sleep, 
ikvhen an overpowering stench filled the tent, and announced 
-uhe presence of either a fox or a pole-cat, or something 
|*vorse. Mr. Elliott peered over the screen, and saw a 
jackal minutely examining every hole and corner of 

153 



ADVENTURES AMONG JACKALS 

the tent. Not at all sure that, finding the place destitutJ 
of victuals, the jackal would not soon smell him out ami 
make a meal of him, the EngUshman put an end to sucH 
an unpleasant possibiHty by sending a pistol-ball intfj 
the would-be thief's body. ;] 

This feat led to a sudden access of popularity tha«i 
was almost embarrassing, for Elhott's Arab servant, who! 
was cursed with a clacking tongue, spread the news fa?! 
and wide, so that for the next few days the jackal-slayej 
was pestered with visits from herdsmen and petty farmers*! 
who brought gifts and congratulations ; for this particula::i| 
beast had long been a thorn in the side of the nativ<1 
stock-breeders ; and if he was guilty of all the crimeii 
that were laid to him, it was high time his career wad 
brought to a close. Fifty goats and two hundred head 
of poultry were only items of the total he was supposecj 
to have made off with, in the course of a month ov 
two. 

The disgusting charge of disinterring and devouring* 
human corpses which is often brought against th( 
African jackal rests on no very certain foundation. Nc 
doubt he has done such things in his time, when driveri 
by hunger, but the practice is not an essential charac-J 
teristic of him. Unfortunately, where the hysena is con-J 
cerned, there is no room for doubt as regards this revolt^ 
ing habit. 

Even the wolf is a cleanly, handsome, and courageous 
beast when compared with the hyaena ; and but for hi^^ 
useful habit already mentioned, one would say that the' 
sooner his whole tribe is shot down the better. 

When Richardson parted from his companions for hi^ 
solitary march towards Lake Tchad, by way of Zinder,^ 

154 



AND HYiENAS 

the saw this creature at his worst. At a town near Zinder 
:^here he was forced to stay for some time horrible stories 
:Kvere passed from mouth to mouth of these pests having 
IjBlunk into houses at night and run off with children ; one 

fwas even said to have carried off and half devoured a 
iisleeping man. From the hut where Richardson lay, he 
[jlsaw a hysena approach a cattle-pen and carry off a calf 
sas big as the beast himself. 

i! In performing this feat the hyaena showed his cus- 
•tomary caution and sagacity by seizing the victim by 
i|the throat, so that it could not cry out. Whatever 
I animal he attacks, he is careful to proceed in such 

a manner that his captive cannot bite or scratch 

him. 

A perverse fate had lodged the explorer within sight of 
the spot where pubUc executions took place, and not 
only were these cheerful sights occasionally forced upon 
his notice, but from time to time he surprised hysenas in 
the very act of mangUng or carrying off the dead bodies, 
which, by local law, were left to the mercies of these 
loathsome brutes. Hard by, among the rocks, was what 
was known as the hyaena's den, and before leaving the 
town, Richardson explored this abode ; but the stench 
and the sight of the grinning creatures that from time 
to time poked their heads out of the various holes soon 
drove him away. 

The average African native has a contempt for, rather 
than a horror of, the hyaena ; the weapon that has slain 
one is defiled for ever, and must not be used again. So 
cowardly is the creature that the blacks consider that 
the killing of him is women's and children's work ; and 
they are content to maim him with stones or bhnd him 

155 



ADVENTURES AMONG JACKALS 

with mud, and then to hand him over to their wives andfj 
little ones, and let them finish him. 

An even closer knowledge than Richardson's of the; 
African hy^na fell to the lot of John Duncan, Vice-Consur 
at Whydah, who has been mentioned in the preceding 
chapter. The particular variety that he had to do with' 
was the wolf-hysena, locally called the pakatoo, and known j 
to frequenters of the Zoological Gardens as the " laughing^ 
hysena." This pakatoo appeared to trouble himself less'' 
about dead bodies than living ones, though a carcass never 
seemed to come amiss; but he would sneak into the 
towns, even in broad daylight, and carry off a pig or a^ 
sheep. 

A horse belonging to one of the EngUsh officers stationed 
at the coast died, and Duncan ordered part of the carcass 
to be left on the beach, while he lay in wait to see what 
would happen. As much of the dead horse as two strong '. 
men could carry was left, and, almost before Duncan 
could retreat to his hiding-place, a wolf-hy^na appeared 
on the scene, and, seizing this mass of meat in his jaws, 
was quickly dragging it away when Duncan shot him' 
through the body. * 

While the explorer Avas journeying inland to settle a 
dispute among the natives, his camp was invaded one 
night by two of these vermin, but fortunately the horses 
made such a commotion that the Vice-Consul was able to 
pistol one pakatoo and to drive away the other before 
any harm was done ; for no horse or dog, and, indeed, few " 
other animals, can endure even the trail of a hy^na, so ' 
abominable is the smell that clings to him. 

Outside a small Dahoman village Duncan was attacked 
by one of his many fevers, and for several days lay half 

156 



AND HYiENAS 

ead, attended only by a faithful negro boy. No sooner 
fas he convalescent than he was threatened by death 
i:om starvation, for the famine-stricken village could offer 
^|im no food, and the black boy had but dim notions about 
ither hunting or civilized cooking. 

■ One afternoon Duncan sat outside the house, gasping 
pr a Uttle air, yet driven mad by the attack of the 
Vosquitoes which made for him the moment he put his 
■lead outside the door. For two days he had tasted 
lothing but stewed monkey and monkey soup, the pre- 
paration of which seemed to be the utmost extent of his 
ji.ervant's cuUnary abilities ; and, scarcely able to eat of 
!!uch a dish, he was almost prostrated in nerve and body. 
A.S he sat trying fruitlessly to drive away the flies, he became 
aonscious of a most powerful odour just behind him, and 
burning, saw a full-grown pakatoo within a yard of him, 
grinning and licking his chaps. 

The Vice-Consul's pistols were in the hut, and his boy 
had taken his only gun to go in search of deer. Enfeebled 
jby fever and hunger, as well as by the prevaihng heat, 
'the unfortunate Scotsman could at first only stare open- 
mouthed at the horrible vision, and seemed powerless to 
spring towards the hut or even to cry out. Thus the two 
; remained looking at each other for what seemed an hour, 
though probably much nearer half a minute. At last the 
horrible jaws of the pakatoo opened wider, and the crea- 
iture broke into a loud, hysterical laugh, blood-curdUng 
I enough at the best of times, when one remembers that this 
' laugh is generally a sort of grace before meat. 

Cowardly and easily frightened as he is, the hysena is 
an awful opponent when urged by hunger ; in proportion 
I to his size he is one of the most muscular of living animals, 
' 157 



ADVENTURES AMONG JACKALS 

and his jaws are so incredibly strong that he can with eas€| 
crunch up a horse's shank-bone ; and we may be sure that 
these facts were not far from uppermost in the explorer's, 
mind as his visitor shuffled a few inches nearer to him. 
HaK fainting from the nearness of the animal's foetid* 
breath, he staggered to his feet, hoping to reach the hut 
and his pistols, which lay ready loaded. But, the momenta 
he moved, the hyaena edged back a few inches, prepared, 
as a clear-headed man would have seen, either to fly at 
his victim or to run away. 

Duncan was only conscious of the readiness to " fly," 
and this was doubly impressed upon him by the animal's 
suddenly moving between him and the hut-door. A 
more naturally manly fellow than he, could not well be ; 
even now he succeeded in pulling himself together suffi 
ciently to raise his foot and administer a feeble kick at 
his tormentor. The pakatoo leapt back in time to avoid 
the boot, and seemed again as though he would flee ; but 
after reflection he moved off in a sideward direction to aj 
distance of ten or twelve feet, stopped hesitatingly, and 
then slunk forward as though to walk round his prey. 

The explorer again began to move towards the door, 
but, the moment he did so, the beast quickened his step 
so as to cut him off. Nothing is more pathetic than to see | 
a really strong man brought low by sickness ; Duncan had | 
once been the biggest man in the Royal Horse Guards, 
and a champion wrestler ; even a month before, he could 
have killed this brute with his hands ; but now, as he stood 
under the broihng sun, his head swam and his hands '. 
drooped useless at his sides. He essayed another kick, 
but a brown mist floated before his eyes, and for a minute • 
he could scarcely see where the animal was. 

158 




Duncan and thk Pakatoo 

Duncan sat outside his hut half dead from fever and starvation and maddened by 
mosquitoes, when he looked round and saw the grinning jaws of a huge pakatoo. He 
stared at it for some time, then aimed a feeble kick at it. Although he could a short 
time before have killed the brute with his hands, he was now so weak that matters 
would have ended tragically had not his boy come up and driven it away. 



^' 



AND HYtENAS 

plight as was the movement of his foot, the faint- 
krted hyaena jumped back again, though the hardest 
jk could not have reached him ; but by way of making 
Ings a little worse he had, in recoiling, thrust his 
ttocks in the very doorway of the hut, and there was 
! entering it without walking over him. Then Duncan 
ed shouting, but his voice seemed to die away in a 
liiful quaver, while the buzzing in his ears and the cold 
M on his forehead told him that, any moment now, he 
jght fall prostrate ; and after that all hope of life would 
gone. 

ut suddenly the sound of a voice singing in humdrum 
jshion caught his ear, and stealing a glance to his left, he 
w his faithful negro walking slowly towards him, drag- 
lig behind him a small carcass. Duncan feebly waved 
B hand, and the black raised his gun reassuringly, and 
(ntinued at a very leisurely pace towards his master. 
" Come along," cried the explorer faintly. 
The negro grinned, and stopping, stood aside to point 
I the body of a young buck which trailed behind him. In 
dn the tormented man waved and called and pointed : the 
d could not be made to understand. 
Then at last the hyaena came to the rescue himself ; 
ting up his voice, he gave vent to a cackle of laughter 
lat attracted the black's attention to him at once ; and, 
i the master sank back half swooning into his seat, the 
rvant, wisely not letting go of their supper, came forward 
; the trot. 

The hyaena saw the reinforcement ; he also saw and 
nelled the new-killed game, and he hesitated. Had the 
.ack been a sportsman, that hesitation would have cost 
le beast his life ; but unfortunately the lad had not 

159 



II 



AMONG JACKALS AND HYENAS '" 

thought good to reload his gun. He did the next beg 
thing, however — picked up a stone as big as a brick am 
hurled it at the intruder ; the stone did not hit the mari 
but it liit the wooden hut with a report like a gunshot, ani 
the cowardly beast fled as fast as his legs could carr 
him. . 



160 



CHAPTER XIII 

AMONG THE AUSTRALIAN WILD BEASTS 

iuliarity of Australian fauna. — The duckbill and the porcupine ant- 
eater. — The marsupials. — Lieutenant-Colonel Mundy. — A kan- 
garoo-hunt on horseback. — The size of a giant kangaroo. — Hia 
,; method of flight from the dogs. — Brought to bay. — The kill. — The 
i kangaroo as a food-animal and as a nuisance. — A battue. — Native 
' methods of hunting. — Giving the dog a bath. 

> the scientist Australia and its neighbourhood is indis- 
,tably the most interesting of all the five continents, for 
' geology, botany, and zoology proclaim it to be, in all 
pbability, the oldest portion of the known earth. Here 
a,y be found animal forms that the rest of the world 
jher never knew or else has forgotten for untold cen- 
ries, and plants that date back to Jurassic and Carbon- 
Irous times. 

Without going into the why and the wherefore of all this, 
iwiU be enough to state that Australia knows no large 
lid animals, and that, with the exception of the dingo 
ad he is probably an importation) and of a few bats, 
'ients, and sea-mammals, all the wild beasts of this 
and continent belong to the two lowest forms of mam- 
ilian life : the Marswpialia, or pouched animals, and those 
ouliar Hnks with the birds and reptiles, the Monotremata, 

161 L 



AMONG THE AUSTRALIAN 

or egg-laying animals. Of the last-named, the t\v 
existing specimens are the ornithorhjnichus {i.e., "bin, 
beak "), generally known as the duckbill, and the po; 
cupine ant-eater. 

It is very doubtful whether a living duckbill has ev( 
been brought to Europe, but a very excellent stuff e 
specimen may be seen at the museum at South Kensinj 
ton. He is a brown, fur-coated little animal, with webbe 
fore-feet, a flat tail, and a bill or muzzle shaped vei 
much Uke a duck's beak. On being interfered with I 
will try to bite, though his " bill " is too soft and flexib 
to cause much pain. But the male has another and mt 
dangerous weapon in a spur or extra claw on each of li, 
hind-feet. The average colonist believes that this clsij, 
is to the ornithorhynchus what fangs are to the snal^^ 
and that through it he can inject venom into the woui;, 
which it has made. In 1817 a hunter is said to ha'', 
been thus poisoned, and there are similar tales of qui 
recent date ; but in all likeUhood the victim would ha; 
incurred blood-poisoning quite as readily from a cat, 
scratch. 

The marsupials, which are the next step on the mat 
malian ladder, bring forth their young in a very imperfe 
state, and place them in a pouch (marsupium) , where tb 
pass through the ordinary nursing stage. , 

Of these pouched animals the kangaroo is naturally t^ 
best known, though the genus includes a large numbt, 
such as the Australian " bear," devil, Tasmanian " woU 
bandicoot, native " cat," flying squirrel, and a host 
others. The kangaroos themselves are subdividj 
into about thirty species, of which the giant, or " 
soldier," or boomah, is the most sought after by hunte 

162 



AVILD BEASTS 

^a is the most capable of doing harm to man or other 
'jmals. 

*tCangaroo-hunts, when undertaken by means of horses 
li hounds, are pretty much aHke ; but special features 
^petimes present themselves, which may make one 
"tticular hunt more interesting than another. One has 
^^n well described by a celebrated hunter, traveller, 
fi draughtsman well known to the last generation — 
^f.utenant-Colonel Mundy. This keen observer was once 
iking a tour of the Antipodes, and while staying in 
'jw South Wales was invited to a special hunt ; and in 
Idition to this he had various opportunities of watching 
B methods of pursuit followed by the natives and the 
onial stock-breeders. 
iThe initial stages of his first chase scarcely differed 

tn those of an ordinary English fox-hunt — that is to 
, proceedings began with a meet ; a pack of trained 
'iunds were there under an experienced whip, and these 
^'"ew off after the approved manner ; and it was not long 
^fore the scent of a giant male kangaroo was discovered, 
[t has been said above that Australia possesses no large 
imals. Probably no two people would agree as to the 
■e of the giant kangaroo until they came to measure 
In. Even recognized naturalists do not give the same 
nensions ; one gives the length of the animal as four feet, 
other as five, and a third as seven, while Colonel Mundy 
scribes the beast of which we are now speaking as seven 
^t six inches from tip to tail, three feet of which was tail, 
e point is, How is he to be measured ? For stature and 
igth of body are not quite the same thing ; and though 
, tape-measure properly used cannot lie, a man's eyes 
|iiy easily mislead him. The truth is that when the 

163 L 2 



AMONG THE AUSTRALIAN 

kangaroo squats on his hams, his height is about four feei 
but with no trouble he can erect himself on his hind-leg 
and so be equal in height to a six-foot man. 

After a ride of a couple of miles, a small family of tl 
animals was unexpectedly met with ; but they scuttle 
away at the barking of the dogs, and these, hot on tl 
scent of the one they had been tracking, were not to 1 
diverted. Through thicket and wooded valley and ovi 
bits of arid tableland, the whole cavalcade rode at whi 
speed they might, a momentary excitement spreadir 
among them from time to time as some one cried, " I s( 
him. There he goes !" For a kangaroo-chase has th 
advantage over a fox-hunt — that the beast can often 1 
seen a mile off. 

After hearing various similar cries, the Colonel did h 
best to follow with his eye where the huntsmen we: 
looking, and at last succeeded in catching sight of 
moving grey-brown object that bobbed up and down in 
grotesque manner, as though it worked on springs. Th 
impression became the stronger as hunters and huntc 
got clear of some prettily undulating and wooded groun' 
on to a far-reaching grassy plain that had only here ai 
there a tree which could obstruct the view ; for the ka' 
garoo could now plainly be seen taking a succession 
regular leaps, each about four or five yards in length. ' 

" Shall we ever come up with him at this rate ?" ask** 
the Colonel of his host. 

" Never at this rate," was the reply. " But he car* 
keep it up for ever ; he's getting blown already ; and t; 
way he's going there's no water for him to take to." 

StilL there was no appreciable gain on the animal f" 
the next mile and a half, but after that the distance beg?} 

164 



Jl' 



f 



) WILD BEASTS 

I 

dually to decrease ; either the kangaroo's leaps became 

jjrter or else they were repeated in less quick succession, 

bit by bit his outUne and colouring grew clearer, till 

ength only a stone's-throw seemed to separate him 
;p the dogs. 

f[!olonel Mundy could now see that, at almost every other 
p, the kangaroo looked hurriedly round at his pursuers, 

hough to measure the distance between himself and 

m. This is an invariable precaution with him, and 
petimes brings him into trouble, for he goes on leaping 
It the same, and not infrequently breaks his back or 

leg against a rock or tree- trunk, through not being 

|e to see where he is going. Before long it was clear that 

i kangaroo had come almost to the end of his tether, and 

'' doubt he knew it ; for, as the three nearest dogs 

i|,ched within ten yards of him, he took an unexpected 

jleward leap, which landed him twelve feet or more at 

jlht angles to the path which he had hitherto been taking. 

this way the dogs lost the advantage temporarily. But 

|tead of jumping straight on in this new direction, the 

nted beast began to spring straight forward once more, 

[d the dogs were soon on him again. Another sideward leap 

rlowed ; then one forward ; then another sideward again. 

/' He's done," said the Colonel's friend, checking his 

|rse sharply. " Don't you see his game ? He's making 

;• those trees." 

A final glance round told the kangaroo that he had once 
me been successful in outdistancing the hounds, and 
w, either out of breath or anxious to store up what 
ergy he could, he varied his means of progress. Hitherto 

had been propelling himself apparently by means of 
d tail, which, stiffened and pointing to the ground, had 

165 



AMONG THE AUSTRALIAN I 

seemed to drive him forward as a boat is pushed off by a 
oar or boat-hook, while his fore-legs dangled loosely an 
unoccupied across his chest. Now, however, he began t 
bring these fore-legs into play : falling forward on t 
them, he entered upon a sort of shuflfle, levering up hi 
hind-quarters by means of the fore-feet and still rigid tai 
Then, when all four feet were together, he pushed forwar^ 
the two front ones and repeated the levering process, anc 
by this means, soon reached the grove of trees for whic 
he had been aiming. \ 

The hounds saw this economizing of breath and tool 
example by it, except one or two of the younger and mo] 
impetuous, and these seemed very much inclined at fin 
to rush upon an appalling fate. For, having gained h 
tree, the kangaroo erected himself, planted his bac 
against the trunk, and tacitly dared the dogs to approac 
him. 

The horsemen had all drawn up at a sufficient distam 
from the tree for the kangaroo to deceive himself into tl 
beHef that they had nothing to do with the hunt, but we: 
merely cattle of a peculiar breed. Whether he thougl 
so or no, he confined his attention to the dogs, kicking oi 
savagely whenever one came nearer than the rest. Lucki 
for their own safety, the dogs would not venture fi 
beyond the semicircle into which they had drawn ther 
selves ; for one stroke of a kangaroo's hind-claw will ci 
to the bone, and even disembowel a dog at a single bloi 
Fights between two of these animals have been witness^ 
wherein one has literally torn the other to pieces with th 
awful weapon. 

As the kangaroo gave no sign of moving onwards, ai 
still less of allowing the hounds to come any nearer, oi 

166 I 




Brought to Bay 

The kangaroo invariably tries to get his back to a tree or rock, and woe betide the 
unlucky dog which comes within reach of his formidable hind foot, for with one stroke 
he will rip up and kill him. 



1 WILD BEASTS 

I the huntsmen unslung his rifle, fired at the animal, and 
j put an end to him. 

Among the Bush-dwellers and farm-hands Colonel 
undy found totally different kangaroo-hunting methods 
ping followed. Here the notion was not so much one of 
|ort as of the double necessity of finding food other than 
lutton, and of ridding the district of an animal which is 
fAy less of a foe to the sheep-farmer than the dingo is ; 
ir if the dingo falls on the sheep and kills them, the 
iangaroo robs them of what little pasturage they have, 
Ihd so takes their lives by taking " the means whereby 
jiiey live." 
Sometimes a hardy and well-tried hunter would go 
one on foot or on horseback towards a family of kan- 
^roos (they are never found in large herds, and rarely 
jitirely alone), and, on getting within gunshot, would pick 
,te the animals one by one as fast as he could reload. 
'fut for an inexperienced man to risk this sort of thing 
lould be madness, if not suicide ; for the kangaroo, if very 
Eupid, is at least no coward. Instead of running away, 
« a deer would do, the moment he sees his brother fall, 
<e stares about him or runs helplessly up and down ; but 
-hen he at last discovers whence the firing is coming, he 
lore often than not makes a dash in that direction. 
I At one farm the Colonel witnessed what is nowadays a 
-reat rarity, owing to a decrease in the kangaroo popula- 
ion — a kangaroo drive. This, like other battues, was in 
♦lain language a massacre. A line of beaters was stretched 
or miles round the stockyard, and all^the kangaroos that 
lappened to be enclosed by that Hne were gradually 
Iriven by shouts, and in some cases by blank-firing or 
[laring torches, towards the yard ; and here, safely en- 
' 167 



AMONG AUSTRALIAN WILD BEASTS 

closed by hurdles, they were shot down in almost a fe^ 
minutes. 

The method of beating by means of flambeaux was oaf 
which the colonists had learned from the aboriginea 
These, when hunting, divide themselves into two or mofj 
parties, and, by lighting fires in a huge circle, graduallj 
drive the game towards the centre of it, and quickly' 
dispatch them with clubs, spears, or boomerangs. 

On another occasion the Colonel accompanied tw«l 
colonists who were pursuing kangaroos on foot, with botb^ 
dogs and guns, and a ludicrous though by no means un- 
common scene occurred. After having secured a fairly 
good bag, the hunters succeeded in coming up with a big 
old male just as he reached the pool. Seeing no tree or 
bush or rock against which to support himself, the 
kangaroo leapt into the water, whither he was immediately 
followed by two of the dogs. Suddenly he turned on 
them, seized one of them in his fore-paws as though he 
were about to " dandle " him, and calmly proceeded not; 
only to duck him in the water, but to keep him there. 
Luckily for the dog, one of the sportsmen was near^ 
enough to send a charge of shot into the kangaroo, and the; 
hound was saved. ( 

" But that's nothing," said one of the colonists. " I'ves 
seen a man held like that and drowned by one of these f 
' old soldiers.' " 

I 



im 



CHAPTER XIV 

HUNTING SEALS AND SEA-LIONS OF THE SOUTH 

Southern seals.— The wreck of the Grafton.— Thiown ashore on the 
Auckland Islands.— The strange roaring in the woods.— A strange 
visitor.— Tough and tender meat.— Seal-hunting by boat.— A dis- 
appointment.— Fight between seal and sea-hon.— Narrow escape 
of Captain Musgrave.— How to kill a seal.— Condemned to per- 
petual seal-meat.— Climbing a tree to escape a bull-seal.— An im- 
portant discovery.— Unwise prodigality.— A terrible retribution.— 
Besieged by infuriated " bulls."— Boat-building under difficulties. 
— " Tom."— Escape after twenty months of captivity. 

Because the seal spends much of his time in the water, 
many of us are indined, perhaps, to look upon him as a 
sort of half-bred fish, although he has as much right to be 
included among wild mammals as the hippopotamus or the 
Polar bear. Moreover, there is another popular miscon- 
ception about him and his tribe— namely, that he is solely 
the product and property of the Arctic Regions. Yet 
Scotland, France, the Adriatic, the Cape, and the Falkland 
Islands all abound in seal colonies or " rookeries " ; while 
the sea-lion is as much at home and as commonly found 
in Polynesia as in the Kuriles or the Aleutians. 

Between the southern and northern sea-Hon there is no 
special difference, but seals vary as much as wolves or 
bears, and the Far South affords some strange specimens 

169 



HUNTING SEALS AND SEA-LTONS i 

{ 
that are quite unknown to many people ; among them' 

being the black seal, the sea-elephant, and the sea-leopard.- 

When a man is imprisoned for nearly two years on an ; 
island in the South Seas where these animals are almost the j 
only Hving creatures, he has a chance of studying their ' 
habits that few of us would covet. Such an opportunity | 
fell to the lot of Thomas Musgrave, Captain of the Grafton ' 
schooner, which, in 1862, was wrecked off the Auckland 
Islands, two hundred miles south of New Zealand. 

By good fortune the crew and some of the stores, tools, 
and ammunition, were landed safely in one of the boats, 
but the schooner and the rest of her boats were hopelessly 
ruined. Seeing, however, that they might have to remain 
here for an indefinite time, the Captain felt some anxiety 
as to the food-supply, particularly as a superficial inspec- 
tion of the vicinity only disclosed a few widgeon or other 
migratory birds. A large hut was quickly constructed 
with ship's timbers and young tree-trunks, and the weary 
sailors lay down to sleep. 

In the morning the Captain was more hopeful of his 
surroundings, for he and several of the men had distinctly 
heard during the night sounds that agreeably resembled 
the lowing of cattle ; and, with care, this should mean a 
constant supply of at least milk, meat, and clothing. 

As one of the men opened the hut-door to let in the 
morning light and air, he started back with a loud 
exclamation, and seizing a crow-bar, brought it down 
heavily on the head of a " bull "-seal that measured 
nearly eight feet in length. 

" Another minute, and he'd ha' had hold o' me," ex- 
plained the sailor, as he endeavoured to drag the heavy 
carcass into the hut. 

170 



OF THE SOUTH 

I " Something to eat, at any rate," commented the Cap- 
tain. " One or two of you lads skin him and cut some 
|B teaks for breakfast." 

j" The steaks were cut and broiled, but the crew pulled 
[wry mouths as soon as they started to eat ; for the hardest 
ship's " junk " was not so tough as the flesh of that bull- 
seal. But shortly after breakfast, Captain Musgrave and 
his first mate shot four young seals within a quarter of a 
mile of the hut, and these, on being roasted for dinner, 
proved an agreeable contrast, for they were as tender and 
tasty as lamb. 

During the next day nothing more was seen of the 
animals, though the cattle-like lowing from them continued 
in the woods around ; and, to husband the scanty stores, 
the men were obliged to return to the despised bull-seal, 
which they cut up and salted. In this there was much 
wisdom, for, during the next few days, a terrific storm 
broke over the island ; trees were uprooted, and the roof 
of the hut burst in, and for nearly a week it was as much 
as a man's life was worth to go out in search of game. 

The day on which the storm gave over was devoted to 
an attempt to refill the larder. Captain Musgrave and two 
sailors put off in their little leaky skiff, hoping to circum- 
vent a seal that had been seen at some little distance from 
the shore ; while another party explored the woods that 
surrounded the hut. The seal which the Captain went 
to chase continued to disport himself at his ease till the 
boat had pulled to within comfortable gunshot, then per- 
versely began to swim out to sea. As the chances of game 
on land would be meagre for at least the next day or two, 
Musgrave was very unwilling to lose this opportunity, and 
so signed to the rowers to keep up the pursuit. 

171 



HUNTING SEALS AND SEA-LIONS 

The race continued for nearly half a mile, and then thej 
seal made a sudden sharp turn to the right. The rowers' 
rapidly altered their course, and now began to get a little 
nearer to the runaway ; but he, perceiving this, turned 
once more towards the shore, swimming at an obtuse angle 
to the line which he had just been following. Again the 
boat pulled round, and when the seal was within a hundred ' 
yards of the beach, the Captain fired. The charge struck 
the water so close to the seal's head that he stopped, 
either from fright or curiosity, and, having sniffed all 
round him, turned to look at the approaching boat. 
Before he could make up his mind what to do, the rowers 
were almost up with him, and Musgrave fired again, this 
time at so short a range that the animal's head was blown 
to pieces. 

" Stand by to pull him in when he comes up," said the 
Captain triumphantly to the nearer oarsman. 

But the seal never did come up ; he sank like lead to 
the bottom and stayed there, and the mortified sailors 
realized that their afternoon's work had been thrown 
away. 

" Pull in," said Musgrave ; " we've not seen this part of 
the coast." 

Having drawn the boat out of reach of the tide, the 
three adventurers walked slowly along the shore, painfully 
conscious, from their not having heard a single gun go off, 
that no game worth the killing had been seen by the other 
hunters. The two seamen had paused to halve the stem of 
a broken branch to make it into a couple of clubs, when 
the Captain, who continued to stroll on, gave a sharp 
whistle and stood still. The men hurried to his side, and 
there, on the farther side of an immense rock, beheld a 

172 



OF THE SOUTH 



|n< 



ost extraordinary sight : a liuge black bull-seal fighting 
furiously with a sea-lion, neither making a sound above 
n occasional half -suppressed grunt of pain or rage. 

One of the men, who knew something of sealing, wasted 
little time in staring, but, shouting to his fellow to come 
on, charged at the combatants with his club poised for 
[action ; but the second man stood gaping, spell-bound. 
Musgrave, with his gun at the shoulder, pushed in front 
of the astonished sailor just as the first man dealt the 
sea-lion a sounding crack across the neck. With a roar 
that was most uncomfortably reminiscent of the land- 
lion, the animal swung himself round, and rearing up on 
his hind flippers, prepared to attack his assailant, whose 
short stick seemed but a puny weapon with which to 
slay a brute fifteen feet long and weighing about thirteen 
hundredweight. The Captain fired, and the sea-lion fell 
on all-fours again, and, though now seemingly unable to 
move, still continued to gnash his teeth at the sailor with 
the club. Forgetful of the seal, the Captain, still pointing 
his gun, began to walk round in order to use his second 
barrel on the lion's head, which he could not reach from 
where he had been standing. His finger had almost 
pulled the trigger when a great black object reared itself 
immediately in front of him ; something struck him 
heavily on the shoulder, and he fell backwards. The seal 
had profited by the occasion to make a blind charge at 
the shooter. As the Captain fell, his gun-butt struck a 
rock, and his finger being already on the trigger, the 
charge exploded, the bullet passing perilously near to 
his own forehead. 

Falling as he had done immediately in front of the rock, 
there was no rearward escape for him, and the infuriated 

173 



HUNTING SEALS AND SEA-LIONS 

seal remained with eyes and teeth flashing and claws ex 
tended, as though daring him to get up. Shding his hand 
down the barrels, Musgrave grasped the gun firmly b 
them, and swung it round with tremendous force at th 
" bull's " head. But the animal was too quick for him,' 
and, before he knew where he was, the weapon was torn 
out of his hand as if his grip had been no more than a 
child's ; the seal had caught the stock deftly in his teeth, 
which held it like a vice. | 

But now the frightened seaman, whose heart was a great 
deal better than his nerves, cried out, " All right, sir ; let 
him keep his teeth at work on that ; I'll " 

" On the nose, Bill — on the nose," roared the more ex-|l 
perienced sailor, as his own weapon fell with a dull crash 
across that part of the sea-lion's head. 

Two rapid sideward blows from the club knocked the 
black seal over on his back, and a third across the under 
side of the muzzle put an end to him. For neither the seal 
proper, nor any of his various relatives, which, on account 
of their shape, their marking, or their noise, have gained 
the name of bear, leopard, lion, elephant, etc., can with- 
stand a heavy blow on the nose if scientifically delivered ; 
lances and even guns are pooh-poohed by the expert sealer, 
who asks for nothing better than a well-seasoned cudgel 
or an axe whose haft can be relied upon. 

As both beasts were now dead and the Captain unhurt, 
the three men jubilantly skinned and cut up the carcasses, 
and conveyed as much of their prize to the boat as it 
would hold. Landing near the hut, they met the second 
body of hunters, who had been scouring the woods. 
These had brought back nothing except the news that, 
along the shore in the opposite direction, they had come 

174 



OF THE SOUTH 

cross a few " calves," and that as soon as they went to 
ittack these, three bull-seals had rushed upon the hunters 
Ljind put them to flight. 

From that time forward it seemed as though the 
Ifiapless crew would be dependent for most of the neces- 
sities of life on these animals, for, with the exception of 
\k few roots, seal-flesh formed their staple diet ; their 
jolothes and boots were of seal-skin ; their light at night 
Iwas from seal-oil ; their sewing-cotton the hair from the 
.manes of sea-lions ; in fact, the very ink with which 
.paptain Musgrave wrote his celebrated " log " was seal's 
jlblood. 

' In this way month after month went by, and all chance 
of their being sighted by a passing ship seemed to be hope- 
iless. When salted seal ran short, fresh had to be obtained, 
often at serious risk of loss of Ufe ; for an expert clubber 
of seals is not made in a day or even in a year ; and 
ammunition was now so scarce that the Captain dared 
not allow a gun to be fired. 

One day he and the first mate and a seaman went 
hunting on the only quarter of the island which had 
not yet been explored. The incessant roaring and 
bleating in the woods promised good store of sport and 
excitement ; and following the sounds, the three came 
suddenly upon a couple of female seals with a group of 
calves. These they disposed of without ceremony, and 
they were stacking up the bodies preparatory to sending 
men to fetch them with hand-barrows, when an old bull, 
presumably just aroused from sleep, rushed from behind 
a fallen tree- trunk, and made a dash at the intruders. 
The Captain was unarmed, having broken his club over 
the head of the second cow, and he wisely jumped out 

175 



HUNTING SEALS AND SEA-LIONS 

of the way ; and, finding that he was unpursued, soughi 
about for a new weapon. The mate struck hurried!; 
at the bull, which caught the club in his teeth, am 
rapidly converted it into sphnters. The seaman alsi 
hit out manfully, but, in his excitement, missed his ai: 
and only by a miracle kept his leg out of the brute 
mouth. This was well for him, for even a small bull cai 
break a man's thigh-bone in his jaws. 

"Tree! tree!" shouted the mate; and both climbed 
out of danger just as the bull reared, ready to bite or 
claw. ' 

While his allies were thus establishing what is probably 
a record in the annals of seal-hunting, the Captain was not 
idle. With one eye on his work and the other on the 
bull, which, fortunately for him, continued to roar round 
the treed men, he broke down a stout sapling, twisting 
it backwards and forwards, and hacking the fibres with 
his knife till it was free ; and, thus armed with a seven- 
foot pole, returned to the charge. A great deal has been 
written about the seal's sense of hearing, and many 
people maintain that the true (or earless) seal can only 
hear when under water. At any rate, this particular beast 
could not have been very deaf, for no sooner did the 
Captain tread on some dead sticks than it rounded on 
him open-mouthed. But a good eye and a good nerve, 
when backed by a quarterstaff stout enough to bring 
down an elephant, form a useful protection against the 
assault of the most ferocious of seals ; and, after being 
felled by the first blow, the animal succumbed to the 
second. 

A further result of this little excursion was the dis- 
covery of an adjacent island shaped like a figure 8, which 

176 



OF THE SOUTH 

•ifoved to be the home of a huge colony of seals ; and 
^nceforward the men might congratulate themselves 
jat there was no fear of starvation. But this abundance 
'%s not an unmixed blessing. In recent years civilized 
'bvernments have realized the necessity of checking the 
'jholesale slaughter of seals, by agreeing upon a long 
pse season, and prohibiting the killing of adult females. 
lie danger of indiscriminate execution among the cows 
|id calves did not occur to the sailors ; the bulls seemed 
I have disappeared, and there was no apparent reason 
|hy the young and tender should not go into the salt-pot 
I long as the old and tough were not on hand to prevent 
'ij. And this improvidence had like to have cost the 
•■lip wrecked men dear. 

I More months passed ; more and more hunting journeys 
% " Figure of Eight Island " were made ; and meanwhile 
me Captain, now wholly despairing of their ever being 
Picked up by a ship, was superintending the building of 
* good-sized vessel. One day some men who had been 
'sahng on the next island came rowing ashore at top 
peed, and, scarcely stopping to beach the skiff, ran 
licitedly up to the Captain. They had had a great 
ifficulty, they said, in finding any more calves or cows, 
lad, while they were searching, a small school of bulls 
}ame upon them so suddenly that they had bare time 
jD scramble into the boat and push off ; even then some 
if the larger animals had pursued them nearly to their 
wn shore. 

Then, when it was too late, Musgrave realized what a 
iece of madness he had been party to. The breeding 
iason was beginning ; the time when the bulls that 
litherto have been hving in the water come ashore, and 

177 M 



HUNTING SEALS AND SEA-LIONS 



I 



fights to the death often take place between them.* 
And he thought with a shudder of what might happen 
were their own island invaded by an army of these 
pugnacious brutes. 

The next morning it seemed as though his worst fears, 
were well grounded, for the crew were awakened at dawi^ 
by a deafening thunder of roars ; the whole island seemed] 
to shake with the noise, and, on looking towards the 
little ship-building yard, they saw a score of bulls waddling 
round it. This might mean paralysis as far as the! 
progress of their boat was concerned ; and with a ver3j 
heavy heart the Captain unlocked the outhouse where! 
his jealously harboured cartridges, gunpowder, and leaci 
were stored ; for to meet an attack from a whole cohor j 
of bulls would require some more forcible weapons thai 
clubs. But the resolute and cheerful faces of his cre"\ 
set him somewhat at rest, and, telling off a few men wit I 
guns to keep the enemy at a distance, he set the boat| 
builders to work again. And thus these plucky fello-w 
laboured on, day after day, threatened with disablemer 
(sometimes that threat was carried out) or with death s 
any minute ; sometimes forced to give up their work an 
retire before a systematic charge from the bulls, till 
seemed as though the vessel never could be finished. 

One amusing feature helped to lighten the monoton 
An old bull, which in course of time became known 
" Tom," daily took up a position on a flat rock ar 
watched the builders at their work. He was too ag< 
and inactive to do much harm, and a great deal too tou^ 

* For further details as to these combats and the establishment 
seal " rookeries," see chap, xxiii. of " The Romance of the Worl' 
Fisheries," by S. Wright (Seeley and Co.). 

178 



j OF THE SOUTH 

'fto be killed for provender ; and this the old creature 
'iseemed to know, for he continued to look on super- 
^ciliously, obstinately refusing to stir for anybody. 

At last, in spite of the seals' efforts to the contrary, 
!the boat was finished and stored, and the plucky crew 
escaped from their prison after twenty months of 
j captivity. 



179 M 2 



CHAPTER XV 

AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

An animal difficult of classification, — Instinct versus reasoning -power. - 
The monkeys of the Malay Ai'chipelago. — Dr. Adams' adventure. ' 
— Among the siamangs. — Sim-worshipping monkeys. — A mis- 
chievous midshipman. — A pathetic instance of motherly love. — 
Monkeys that cannot run. — Some more sun-worshippers. — The 
proboscis monkeys. — Conchologists. — Naval officers held up by : 
monkeys. — The ship's gun to the rescue. — The loris, or Asiatic 
lemur. — Strange sight seen by Dr. Mouat. — A Siamese gibbon and 
a poisonous snake. — Where the monkeys have it all their own way. 
— India's sacred quadrumana. — Two ludicrous anecdotes. — Rev. , 
C. Acland's alarming experience in Bengal. — How to frighten an 
Indian wild beast. 

The monkey enjoys the distinction of being the wild beast 
which in shape most closely resembles the members of 
the human race, and in character comes painfully near 
being hke savage or irresponsible man. To classify this 
immense family is no easy matter ; the simplest method'! 
for our present purpose will be to say that the Old World 
monkeys fall into two groups, large and small ; and thatj^^ 
of the small, the majority are found in the more easterly* 
parts of the globe. ^ 

The little creatures have ever been a byword for mis-i 
chief and trickery, and these more innocent points in theii? 
character have been so emphasized and insisted upon by 

180 






AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

mters, that their better and worse points — their wonder- 
ful cleverness together with their spite and ferocity — are 
Dften, to a great extent, lost sight of. Of course, there is 
practically no comparison between the monkey-brain and 
phat of the most ordinary human being ; nevertheless, 
those who have studied the matter closely have told us 

fhat monkeys really do possess a certain amount of true 
easoning power, and by consequence they perhaps rely 

ess on sheer animal instinct than does, for instance, the 
on or the dog. In this way the poor monkey seems rather 

jto be between two stools, possessing less instinct to guide 
Ibis actions than most other beasts, and at the same time 
*!having the little knowledge that is a dangerous thing, 
.which he has acquired either by imitation or by his own 
^glimmerings of rationality. 

*| It is no doubt on this account that we hear tales of 
-'monkeys having sufficient sense to hght a fire, and yet 

lacking the wit to feed it and keep it going ; or of a monkey 

picking up a weighty stone and carrying it till he is worn 
]|Out with fatigue, because it has not occurred to him to 

drop his burden when tired, as even the stupidest dog 
I would do. 

Among the smaller quadrumana we do not see so much 
I of the revengeful spirit that characterizes the great apes 
I and the baboons ; they seem conscious of their inability to 
: do serious harm to man, and therefore, when one of their 
j number is killed, instead of banding together against the 
[slayer, they will flee in panic, only staying to pick up and 

carry away with them the dead body of their comrade. 

But an exception to this rule must be made when the 
j animal killed is young enough to be still under its mother's 
[protection. Dr. Adams, R.N., of Sir Edward Belcher's 

181 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 



expedition, came across an interesting example of this 
while cruising in the East Indian Archipelago, 

The doctor and some other officers had gone ashore for 
a few hours' sport, and a little before sunset were loung- 
ing and idling in a hill-grove, gathering cocoa-nuts 
and watching the evolutions of the land-crabs and ■ 
plantain-squirrels. Suddenly a midshipman, who had 
climbed a tree and was busily throwing down cocoa- - 
nuts, cried out, " Look out, there ; there's a whole t 
regiment of black monkeys getting down from those i 
trees ahead." " 

The officers aroused themselves, and saw, not far away, ^ 
an immense company of siamangs dropping from the 
branches to the ground, and there collecting in something ■ 
like systematic order. 

" What's that old fellow up to, I wonder ?" said the first ' 
lieutenant, pointing to an aged and somewhat infirm 
monkey that had been marshalling the rest, and now, 
placing himself at the head, was solemnly looking towards 
the setting sun. 

" H'sh ! Keep quiet," whispered the surgeon. " He's i 
the monkey-chief. These little beggars are sun-wor- ^ 
shippers. Listen." y 

There was no need to request anyone but a deaf man ' 
to " listen," for, as Dr. Adams finished speaking, the 
whole band of black-coated devotees set up the most ex- ° 
traordinary chorus of yelling that ever man heard — a' 
chorus that, without exaggeration, could have been heard 
two or three miles away. It is with such a noise as' 
this that the siamangs daily greet the rising or setting 
sun. 

" That's sun-worship, is it ?" said a junior lieutenant. 

182 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

j' I'll make 'em take it a little farther off, at any rate ;" 
lind he was aiming with his gun when the doctor sharply 
prdered him not to interfere. 
" Now watch," said Adams. 

The evening devotions ended, the monkeys were now 
undergoing a sort of roll-call, or inspection. The old 
chief was sedately walking round his subjects, and the 
mothers were brushing up and smoothing down their Httle 
ones with a view to making them look nice. 

The httle midshipman, who had now descended from his 
tree, began to creep towards this remarkable collection, 
and, being something of an adept at throwing, picked up 
a stone and had hurled it with some force at the monkey- 
group before the older officers were aware that he had 
chmbed down. The stone certainly hit a mark of some 
kind, for, a few seconds after it fell, there was a repetition 
of the former general howhng, this time shriller and more 
piercing ; then the animals turned, sprang into the nearest 
trees, and fled, continuing their wild screaming. One old 
monkey was left standing, or stooping rather, in the same 
place. The boy ran on towards the spot, and Dr. Adams 
followed him at a brisk walk, with the intention of 
telhng the mischievous youth one or two plain home- 
truths. 

As the doctor came up, he saw that the stone had struck 
a baby siamang, wounding one of its legs so that the poor 
httle creature lay moaning and trembling, in spite of its 
mother's encouraging chirps and gestures. The boy was 
now making grabs at the smaller monkey, each of which 
was skilfully frustrated by the mother, who contrived 
every time to interpose her body between him and her 

offspring. 

183 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

" Here ! you come out of it ; you've done enough mis- 
chief for one day," said the surgeon, good-humouredly 
taking the midshipman by the shoulder and throwing 
him to one side. 

But the mother saw no distinction between the 
nefarious designs of the boy and tlie benevolent intentions 
of the man ; and, considering him a new and more for- 
midable foe, snatched the little one up in her arms and 
ran half a dozen steps towards a tree close at hand. But 
the weight was too great for her, and she was soon obliged 
to reduce her speed ; for the siamang, like many other 
essentially " tree " monkeys, makes but a poor show when 
walking or running : the arms are unduly long, and more 
accustomed to be employed for climbing than for any 
other purpose ; therefore, if there be no tree near, the 
animal can easily be overtaken. 

Anxious to observe her more closely, though unwilling 
to take her prisoner or rob her of her little one, the young 
surgeon came up with her again, and she, conscious of 
her inability to outrun him, placed her charge on the 
ground, fenced it in with her arms, and turned savagely 
on the intruder, with teeth ready to snap on the first 
opportunity. Then the doctor sought very gently to put 
her aside with his foot, but instantly she bit at his leg, 
and, finding his stout leather gaiter resist her teeth, she 
made a mournful sobbing noise, and shuffled a few inches 
away, still keeping her hands on the ground, and thus 
moving her offspring along with her. 

The other men had now strolled up, and even then, 
though terribly frightened at this increase of the enemy's 
force, the plucky little mother still stood her ground, 
mumbling to herself, and threatening the bystanders with 

184 



I 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

^br teeth. Her behaviour was the more heroic in that 
ll|ie siamang is proverbially dense and slow of apprehen- 
lon, and has as httle notion of self-defence as a baby, 

here the giving or the parrying of a blow is concerned. 

enuinely affected by such a pathetic picture, all the 
ajiilors drew back a few yards, and the mother, quick to 

ize her opportunity, once more caught up her young 

le, and this time succeeded in swinging herself on to a 
ibw bough, and was soon out of sight. 
I As the party moved down towards the beach to await 

eir boat, they witnessed another evidence of sun-worship 
lOng the monkeys. On the edge of the grove they came 
on a tree that was laden with some hideous-looking 
jnimals, three or four feet long, and red-brown in colour, 
Sieved on the cheeks and shoulders by a bright orange 

int. 

j " Proboscis monkeys," said the doctor, pausing. " Give 
,tiem a wide berth ; they're vicious. No more stone- 
browing, if you don't mind ; a crowd hke this would tear 
as to pieces in a few minutes." 

i The sportsmen unslung their guns in case of need, and, 
Itepping lightly, walked well wide of the tree till they 
Vere beyond it and into the open again, when all stopped 
lo have a good look at these ugly forest-dwellers. It need 
icarcely be said that the animals have gained their name 
torn the extraordinary length of their noses. With their 
fare, yellow faces, beard-like neck-frills, and the exag- 
gerated nasal development aforesaid, they looked in the 
lunset-Hght positively devihsh ; anl only a keen naturaHst 
ike Dr. Adams could have found much pleasure in 
^remaining in their immediate vicinity. 
j The whole collection presented a strange picture. Two 

185 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

were fighting tooth and nail ; a couple of score were 
placidly watching the sun as it sank over the sea ; some 
others, seated on a broad limb of the tree, were asleep, 
resting on their hams, their heads nodding on their 
breasts ; while some of the younger ones, distinguished by 
their absence of proboscis, were capering about, biting 
their own or their neighbours' tails. The doctor was 
afterwards informed by the Dyaks that these monkeys 
are regarded by them as runaway men who have fled 
from the villages to the forests in order to avoid the 
heavy local taxation. 

The sailors walked on again, clambered down the little 
cliff, and gained the upper beach, where a more strange 
sight than they had yet witnessed was awaiting them. 
About forty proboscis monkeys were stalking solemnly 
up and down the shingle, stooping every now and then 
to pick up and examine shells, molluscs, or stones, with 
the intense interest of conchologists. Their movements 
and attitudes were so grotesque that all the officers burst 
into a loud laugh. 

" We'd better have kept our mouths shut," said the 
doctor, checking his own merriment, as the monkeys 
looked up from their occupation and eyed them some-, 
what savagely. " We must steer round them some- 
how." 

" Too late," said one of the lieutenants. " Look at the 
brutes ; they mean mischief." i 

With a good deal of spluttering and chattering, the 
monkeys were certainly getting ready for an attack : some 
were picking up stones, as though with hostile intent ; 
others were moving stealthily and menacingly towards 
the group of men. The pinnace, which should have been 

186 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

waiting, had not yet put off from the ship, and if the 
>ortsmen got beyond the monkeys down to the Avater- 
jlge, they would still be between the deep sea and a very 
Dod imitation of the devil. 

' Fire a volley over their heads when I give the word," 
4id the first lieutenant in a low voice. " If that doesn't 
lighten them, we must give them something that 

ku." 

jj Each man fired off one barrel at the word of 
jiommand, and, for an instant, the monkeys seemed 
ftupefied; but the next, they rushed with one accord 
liowards the gunners. 

j It was an extremely awkward moment. No one Hkes 
io appear ridiculous ; yet, whether the officers treated 
ihe monkeys' charge seriously, and sought to repel it by 
lieUberately firing on them; whether they picked up 
kones and pelted them ; or whether they frankly turned 
•tail and ran, knowing that these, hke the siamangs, 
'are slow of foot, the position was equally undigni- 

f From it they were suddenly rescued by an ally that 
Piall might have counted upon, yet had forgotten— the 
^ship's sunset-gun. As the first Ueutenant was about to 
give the word for a second and more deadly volley, a 
sudden flash and puff of smoke came from the ship's 
side, followed immediately by the crash of one of the 
big guns, which announced that a pinnace was putting 
' off, to take on board any of the ship's company that 
might be ashore. The report echoed among the hills 
and trees, and, before it had died away, every monkey had 
scaled the chff and disappeared, deafened and terrified by 
the unexpected shock. 

187 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

The East Indies have a curious Httle connecting-hnk 
between the monkeys of the Old World and those of the 
New in the loris, a sort of tailless lemur. Many of these 
funny little animals were seen by Surgeons Mouat and 
Playfair of the Indian Army, during their survey of the 
Andaman Islands. These creatures are distinguished! 
by their large bright eyes, rounded foreheads, and pointed^ 
snouts. In colour they are grey, lightening into white 
on the under parts of the body. 

Returning to their temporary camp one evening, the ^ 
two doctors noticed a couple of glowworm-like sparks 
moving about in a tree near at hand, and both pulled 
up sharply, not sure as to what enemy might be lurking 
there. When they stopped, the sparks at once became! F 
stationary. Then, gradually, by the light of the rising '' 
moon, they made out a trim little body, which they " 
recognized as one of the lorises which they often saw by 
day. As the two men did not move, the animal at length 
seemed to grow tired of standing still, and ignoring them, 
began to follow the course in which he had been inter- ■ 
rupted along a slender horizontal bough, moving so 
lightly that not a leaf stirred ; and, but for the gleam of 
his eyes, the watchers, close as they were, could not have " 
told that he moved at all. ' 

Presently the sparks stood still again, and before the 
men could count ten, there was a swift rustle as though 
the monkey had thrust his hand through the leaves to ' 
grasp something. This was immediately followed by a 
succession of despairing squeaks and chirps and fluttering 
of wings ; then silence again. The little wretch had 
sneaked up to a sleeping bird, caught it, and had now 
wrung its neck with the skill of a practised poulterer. 

188 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

He then seated himself comfortably on the bough, 
teered down at the strangers to make sure that they 
Duld not reach and rob him, and then proceeded deftly 
) pluck the little carcass, throwing the feathers broad- 
ast, and pausing now and then to blow them away from 
Jim ; this done, he crunched up the whole body, bones, 
tead, and all. 

j The monkeys of the East are, as may be seen from 
|his instance, singularly clever in catching their prey, 
nd even in dealing with arboreal and other enemies, 
in Further India, Siam, and the Archipelago, it is nothing 
|xtraordinary to see these artful creatures worrying a 
tjrocodile almost out of his senses, or bundling a huge 
,nake bodily out of a tree. Henri Mouhot, the gallant 
(i^^rench explorer, witnessed a curious encounter between 
^11, monkey and a poisonous snake some six feet long, the 
,iike of which has often been seen by subsequent travellers 
n Siam. 

This snake was lying comfortably coiled in the fork of 
1^ tree, asleep, when a monkey — probably one of the 
gibbons — made a sudden descent from the top branches, 
ind, grasping the reptile's head with one hand and one 
Df the coils of the body with the other, threw it with some 
;force to the ground. Before the astonished snake could 
J collect itself, the assailant was down on the ground beside 
it, and, keeping his body carefully out of reach of its 
jfangs, had seized it by the head, and, to the explorer's 
{wonderment, began to rub the under side of this vigor- 
ously backwards and forwards on the harsh, rocky 
ground ; and this continued, despite the reptile's furious 
struggles, till the lower jaw and poison-bags were 
positively ground down to nothing. Other travellers, 

189 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS t 

who have seen the same thing in India, have even affirm(| 
that some monkeys will actually go in search of 
rough flat stone, which they will push under the reptile] 
head for a grindstone before beginning this hvely oper? 
tion. 

India offers ample scope to the student of the qua(' 
rumana, albeit the stranger who takes up this twig i 
science there must mind his manners ; for in India tF 
monkey is generaUy a sacred beast, and it is neith^- 
courteous nor wise to tamper with Hindu rehgiot* 
susceptibilities. To kill a sacred monkey is to bring > 
whole village or town round one's ears hke a hornet' 
nest; yet how is one to defend oneself against tl' 
creatures ? i 

They often become a positive scourge to a place, an 
all sorts of expedients have been tried, in order to ri* 
the towns of them. Have we not all heard the tale c 
the headman, who, goaded beyond human patience, ha» 
all the monkeys in his village trapped, driven in a wage 
some twenty miles into the country, and turned loo." 
there; and how the impudent creatures, one and al 
insisted on accompanying the wagon back to the viUag' 
apparently much invigorated by their brief excursion* 
The Rev. J. G. Wood quotes a funnier and more successfi^ 
device. An Enghshman who had tried every means (i 
keeping these pests from his plantation at last caugF 
several young ones in a net, rubbed them with treacle i^ 
which tartar emetic was mixed, and sent them back to the.^ 
temporarily bereaved parents. The prodigals were dul^ 
examined, and, of course, carefully hcked by the who! 
tribe ; and probably no schoolboy after his first ciga' 
ever felt worse than those monkevs soon did. At an^ 

190 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

4te, they never returned to vex the astute Englishman 
^ain. 

.,, Some of these Indian quadrumana scarcely deserve to 
ji included among the smaller monkeys, for, round about 
jfengal, a creature nearly five feet high is sometimes 
jbund, remarkably Hke the orang-utan in shape and 
ofolour. Of this animal the Rev. Charles Acland, 
ijlnce regimental chaplain at Cuttack, gives a curious 
3(i,ccount. 

ji Mr. Acland, who had been sitting on his verandah 
reading, had occasion to go into the house to speak to his 
ijkife. On returning, he found his chair occupied by one 
llJDf these big monkeys. There he sat, as comfortable as if 
'the chair belonged to him, the book in his hands — upside 
fldown, bien entendu — and his eyes closed as though 
liimeditating on a passage he had just read. The chaplain's 
first instinct was to re-enter the house, bolt the window, 
sand leave the enemy in possession ; but all of a sudden 
)lLe remembered that, at the far end of the verandah, 
jiseparated from him by the intruder, lay his baby asleep 
;;m its cot. To have attempted a hand-to-hand struggle 
rwith so powerful and agile a brute would have been 
i sheer suicide ; and the only way out of the difficulty 
j seemed to be to shp quickly back into the house for a 
I gun, and, whether the natives hked it or no, to put 
• an end to a creature that, in its insane mahce, might 
I at any moment snatch the child from its cot and 
i make off with it, even if it did not boldly attack the 
\ father. 

But just as the chaplain came to this decision, a parrot 
, in a cage over his head gave a loud, angry screech, and 
i instantly the monkey dropped the book and started to 

19X 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

his feet. At the sight of the young clergyman he showe 
his teeth, spat, and jabbered, and signified by ever^ 
possible means that he was working himself up into i 
bhnd rage. I 

It was too late to move now. Mr. Acland did, indeec^ 
at first seek to back gently towards the window without 
taking his eyes off the beast ; but when he moved, thl 
intruder moved also, and no sooner did he stand sti] 
again than the ape imitated him. Without turning hi 
head he now began to cast his eyes rapidly from side t<* 
side in search of a weapon of some sort, but there wai 
nothing more formidable than the parrot's cage am' 
a light bamboo table. In the road there was not a sou 
in sight, and probably even the Hindu servants wen 
asleep ; therefore, to call out would be to alarm his wife 
to no purpose, and possibly to irritate the brute intc 
extreme measures. Meanwhile, if the child should happen 
to cry, the ape would most hkely turn on it and seize it 
before the father could run for his rifle. 

And so the chaplain stood staring as fiercely as he 
knew how, hoping to intimidate the brute by a fixed 
severity of expression, and at the same time revolving in 
his mind every possible means of kiUing or driving off the 
enemy. 

Then, hke a flash, an idea came to him. Often in the 
outlying villages he had seen the natives scare off 
a bear, and even a tiger, by a curious hostile cry or pro- 
longed hoot ; this cry had become a sort of catchword 
among the men in barracks, and having heard it so 
often there, the chaplain had unconsciously learned to 
imitate it exactly. He now put it into practice, and 
with lungs strengthened by excitement, bawled it so 

192 



AMONG THE SMALLER MONKEYS 

iftt it could have been heard at the other end of the 

i*wn. 

The interloper started as though the cry had been a 
liUet, gave a panting, shuddering little moan of fright, 
liTang like a spider over the verandah-rail and on to a 
i,nyan-tree outside, from which it escaped to the roof 
5i.ove, and was never seen again. 



192 N 



CHAPTER XVI 

HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

The elephant of Ceylon. — Prince Waldemar's tour. — An initial disap. 
pointment. — A " rogue." — A strange superstition. — FrighteneC( 
horses. — The cause. — Trying to outrun the elephants. — Desertior 
of the Sinhalese servants. — A sea of elephants. — A horrible situa- 
tion. — Major Rogers to the rescue. — An extraordinary feat. — The 
elephant in Further India and Siam. — Lieutenant White, U.S.N. 
— A strange method of hunting. — Noise. — A treacherous snare.— 
" Boxing " the captive elephants. 

The point which most distinguishes this handsome beasi 
from his African brother is the strange concave curve 
on the top of his head. In disposition, too, he is inchned 
to be more surly and fierce, on the whole ; such, at any 
rate, was the opinion of Dr. Hoffmeister, a clever young 
German scientist who accompanied the late Prince] 
Waldemar of Prussia, as travelling physician, on hiaj 
tour throughout the Eastern portions of the globe. J 

It was in Ceylon, near Newara Eliya, that the visitor^ 
first came in close contact with the animal ; and here,j; 
the Prince tells us, their travels would have come to a. 
terrible close if it had not been for the skill and courage^ 
of a British cavalry officer, Major Rogers. , 

Anxious to see an elephant-hunt without actually 
bearing a part in it, the invalid Prince, accompanied by,^ 

194 ^ 



i HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

the doctor and a couple of native attendants, took up his 
station on horseback on a point of rising ground within 
bhe forest, from which he might hope to watch the 
proceedings. 

I Meanwhile a dozen English officers on foot, and armed 
kdth large-bore rifles, were stalking the game from west 
|to east, and, by the increasingly heavy trampling, it was 
Iblear that a considerable herd of elephants was being 
jiriven swiftly along towards the spot where the two 
Germans were waiting. 

j At last one or two shots sounded quite close at hand, 
fend through the trees the mud-coloured hides could be 
!)seen moving rapidly. These soon disappeared, and, after 
ila while, the spasmodic firing ceased and the sound of the 
'lelephants' feet died down again. 

" Is that all ?" asked the Prince disappointedly. 

" They have got away from the English sahibs," 
bxplained one of the attendants, who could speak English. 

The sahibs are trying to get roimd them and cut them 
jfofPin front." 

' The two travellers remained still for half an hour, 
patiently waiting for something to happen ; but, beyond 
an occasional shout in the far distance, nothing betokened 
^tthat anything out of the ordinary was occurring. At 
'last, deciding that the day's sport was ended, the Prince 
was about to turn his horse's head towards the town, 
I when heavy footsteps came crashing over the leaves and 
j fallen timber fifty yards^away. 

- Every one strained eyes and ears for more certain 
information. 

" That is only one beast," said Dr. Hoffmeister with 
I conviction. 

195 N 2 



HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

" Listen ! Perhaps some one is running him down," 
said the Prince. i 

Just then the sapHngs at the hill-foot parted to makej 
way for a full-grown elephant of great size, which, at I 
sight of the men on horseback, stood rocking himself, 
pawing the ground, and giving every sign of angry ; 
surprise. 

"Does he intend charging up this hill, I wonder?" 
said the doctor, unslinging a short gun which hung over 
his shoulder. 

An exclamation from one of the natives made him look 
back at them. He had spoken in German, but both 
had read his action without understanding the words. 

" Do not shoot, sahib," pleaded the interpreter in 
English. 

The dusky faces of the two attendants had grown grey 
and leaden with fear, and though each was armed, neither 1 
seemed to have any notion or intention of using his ' 
weapon. 

" We must appear not to notice him," contiuned the ^ 
speaker. " If we were many, we might kill him ; as it is, ^ 
he would massacre us." 

" But," argued the doctor, " these English soldiers are • 
only about one man to ten elephants ; why do not they i 
get massacred ?" 

The Sinhalese looked as contemptuous as a very 
frightened servant can and dare look, and replied, " The :> 
sahib does not understand. This is a ' rogue.' " i 

" Oh, it's a ' rogue,' is it ? Well, we don't want him '' 
here," interposed the Prince ; and at a nod from him t 
the doctor fired off his gun, which was loaded with 
ball. 

196 



HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

" Ah ; bad shot !" ejaculated Hoffmeister in EngHsh, 
is he saw, to his mortification, that the bullet had passed 
spnocently over the " rogue's " head. 
c! " No ; good shot," said the native, bowing respectfully. 
tj'He goes ; look !" And certainly the elephant, alarmed 
il)y the report, was backing into the path by which he 
(lad come, and now, wheeling to the right, hurried away 
|lit a dignified trot. " The bad shot would have been 
jiad you hit him and not killed him," added the attendant 
Buavely. 

! A "rogue," or solitary elephant, is regarded by the 
iHindus and Sinhalese with superstitious horror ; by the 
lEastern transmigration theory he is the reincarnation of 
h rebel, and an utterly criminal and undesirable member of 
society. Be that as it may, a " rogue " elephant is a nasty 
(Customer to meet face to face ; in one case out of ten he 
;|may turn tail as did Dr. Hoffmeister's, but in the other 
jOiine he is far more likely to drag a man from the saddle 
With his trunk, dash him to the ground, and roll him 
j|backwards and forwards between his feet till he has left 
him senseless or dead. 

" We will give them one more quarter of an hour," 
fsaid the Prince, in reply to a suggestion of the doctor's 
that his patient might like to be moving on. At the 
end of that time all rode down the hill again, and, enter- 
ing upon a narrow forest-road, began to walk their horses 
along towards Newara Eliya. But as they progressed, 
they seemed to be coming in touch with the hunt again, 
:!for, every now and then, the barking of dogs, and the 
shouting of voices unmistakably English, rose ahead 
J of them, as though the hunters had established themselves 
j between them and the town. 

197 



HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

On the hill the Prince's horse had shown some signs | 
of fright each time an elephant had come anywhere near, ' 
and now he began to jib, and cock his ears nervously 
very much as a colt does when he encounters a barrel-jfi 
organ or a German band for the first time. Princ 
Waldemar, though no mean rider, was a convalescent 
and not in a fit condition to manage a frightened horse i\ 
and when, after exhibiting a decided inclination to 
" buck," the animal shied violently, thus separating 
himself by several yards from the doctor's horse, the 
Prince could only with difficulty keep his seat. 

Dr. Hoffmeister naturally spurred towards his patient, 
but before he could reach him his own horse began to 
grow obstinate, and, at the first sound of an angry 
trumpeting close at hand, did his best to bolt. One ofl 
the natives seized his bridle, and the other hastened to 
help the Prince ; and just then the trumpeting and tramp- 
ling came nearer than ever. 

" We must get past them," shouted the interpreter. 
" If they come into the road in front of us, we shall all be 
crushed." 

His fellow seized the Prince's bridle, and all four started 
off at the gallop, uncomfortably conscious that a large 
elephant-herd was among the trees on their right, still 
some way ahead, and might at any moment rush into the 
road, cutting them off from the most direct access to the 
town. 

On went all four sets of hoofs at lightning speed, and 
at last it seemed as though the riders must be clear of the 
herd. But as the native let go the Prince's horse, tAVO 
shots in quick succession sounded just off the road, so 
close that, though Dr. Hoffmeister could not distinguish 

198 



'hunting the ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

i 

5|ie shooter among the tree-trunks, he very plainly saw 

jie flash of the second shot. 

With a shrill whinny, Prince Waldemar's horse shied 
.{gain, almost crushing the rider's shin against a tree- 
■runk by the road-side, and, before Hoffmeister could 
each him, three elephants blundered through the brush- 
pod and low branches a few yards ahead, and, without 
^bticing the riders, rushed bhndly across the road, 
;lisappearing again in the forest on the other side. This 
-.vas too much for the Sinhalese ; both lost their heads, 
find, regardless of their charge, galloped on in the direction 
j^f the town. 

j And now, to make matters worse, Hoffmeister no 

Sooner tried to approach his companion in misfortune 

than the Prince's horse began to kick viciously, and the 

•doctor's horse following this bad example, it looked very 

much as if a kicking match would be brought off there 

and then. Of one thing the Prince's horse was at 

least determined : not to be caught by the doctor, even 

if he allowed liimseK to be restrained by his rider from 

bolting. Now he began to sidle and dance towards the 

middle of the road again, till he frightened the doctor's 

mount out of Ms wits, and made him decide to unseat 

his rider on the first possible opportunity. 

Wliile affairs were in this encouraging position a fresh 
stampede, and a fresh and more discordant trumpet- 
blast, came from the same spot as before, and the rest 
of the scene seemed to the two Germans simply an ex- 
aggerated nightmare. Dusky masses innumerable 
plunged and rolled from among the trees, and swept past 
them in an endless procession ; while the two horses 
charged one another, kicked, screamed, and reared, till 

199 



HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

the riders could only keep their seats by abandoning al 
effort to do so and trusting entirely to luck. 

As to the procession that crossed their path, it seemec 
as though all the elephants in Asia had collected with the 
set purpose of parading before the august traveller. In 
reality there were about a hundred, but imagination 
made a vast ocean of them. 

At last it came to an end, and, as Prince Waldemar's 
horse gathered his legs under him for a frantic spring 
forward, the doctor managed to catch the bridle, and 
so draw the two heads close together, with the view of 
making both animals go forward at a sober speed. But| 
still the shouting and occasional gun-reports on their 
right continued. 

" Let us get on quickly now," panted the invalid. 
" There are more to come, you can hear." 

As he spoke, two more elephants charged into the road, 
caught sight of the horses, reduced their run to a walk, 
and, sniffing suspiciously, wheeled towards the hapless 
riders. 

The Prince was unarmed ; the doctor had not reloaded 
his gun, and in any case it would have been useless now 
that all his energies, and both his hands, were employed 
with the horses. 

" Can Your Highness guide him past them if I let go ?" 
he had started to say, when a grey-clad, white-helmeted 
figure seemed to leap from nowhere, and Major Rogers, 
one of the shooting-party, sprang between the two 
elephants. Then, before either rider could imagine what 
was about to happen, the cool-headed soldier had fired 
off one barrel of his gun at the ear of the left-hand elephant, 
who dropped on his knees, then fell sidewards with a 

200 




In the Nick of Time 

Prince Waldemar, who was travelling for his health in Ceylon, wished to see an 
elephant hunt. His curiosity was more than satisfied, for two huge animals blocked 
his path, and his horse wa. uncontrollable from terror Matters were extremely 
critical, when an English officer calmly stepped out of the bush between the two 
elephants and coolly shot them one after the other. 



I HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

lorrible crash. The second elephant started and stopped, 
fnd, wliile he was making up his mind what to do next, 
ihe Englishman had served him in the same way as his 
kinsman ; and the animal rocked, bellowed, and fell dead 
almost at the very feet of the frightened horses. 

j Lieutenant John White, of the United States Navy, 
jlaw elephant-hunting carried on in a very different 
manner while he was traveUing through Siam and Further 
India. Several times he assisted at native hunts, but 
the idea was business, not sport, and catching instead 
liof killing ; for it scarcely need be said that the South 

Asiatic farmer, contractor, timber-merchant, and trader 

used, till lately, to rely as much on the strength of the 

domesticated elephant as we do on steam or electricity. 

When an elephant can build a stone wall all by himself, 
lean plough a field as well as a dozen oxen, or carry balks 

of timber that ten men could scarcely move, he becomes a 
' valuable item in the economy of labour. 
i On one occasion Mr. White met a group of Siamese 
" peasants armed not only with guns and httle explosive 

balls, but with drums, bells, tin kettles, horns, and every- 
' thing else calculated to make a diaboUcal commotion ; 

and, finding that they were going elephant-hunting, he 
I speedily decided to accompany them. FalUng in, then, 
': with this very large and very noisy army, he entered a 
I thick forest of teak and oak. Before the hunters had 

penetrated this above half a mile, the leader called a halt, 
I enjoined silence and caution on everybody, and pro- 
ceeded to marshal his men, so that, within an hour or two, 
they had formed an immense curved Hne, which bade 
i fair soon to reach several miles in extent. 
' 201 



HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

Each hunter went about his business in perfect silence 
but White observed that the men nearest to him all hat 
their guns or drums, or other instruments of torture, ir 
almost nervous readiness, as though impatient for ad 
expected signal to begin the music. 

At length this signal came— four gun-discharges in 
rapid succession. At the fourth shot the forest became 
positively alive with uproar ; even a civiHzed mob could 
scarcely have made more noise ; and, as though the clatter 
and tumult were not enough in themselves, they were, 
quickly augmented by the hollow trumpeting of probably 
about two hundred terrified elephants. j 

Mr. White's guide beckoned to him to follow him as 
he stepped hurriedly forward, and it was soon apparent, 
that this enormous human circle was closing in towards- 
a common centre. The racket continued, and after a^ 
while the American could see almost a score of elephants, 
ahead of him, plunging and charging towards some distant 
point. This kind of thing went on for nearly an hour, 
and at last the traveller came in sight of the centre for 
which he and his companions had been aiming. At first 
this seemed to be a trim and very regular avenue of trees, . 
up which scores of elephants were trotting contentedly;: 
under the leadership of an old female ; but as White drew 
nearer to .it he saw that it was the treacherous entry to 
an immense trap, keddah or corral, and that the suburban- 
like avenue was simply a cunning and orderly arrange- 
ment of saplings and cut branches, placed there so as half 
to conceal the strong fence of stakes on either edge of the 
road. The noise on every side of the herd had gradually 
frightened them towards this entry, which looked Hke a 
convenient way of escape, and, to the animals' discomfi- 

202 



HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

L turned out to be merely a ehannel into a snare from 
iliich there was no possible egress. , . -j i-i, 

.As soon as the last of the captives was safely mside the 
Uue, the whole multitude of hunters sprang from their 
,,„cealment and ran hooting and bellowing down the 
. annel, thereby hastening the speed with which the 
Lhanls reached the larger enclosure. At the opemng 
Cthis were strong shding-gates, which were rapid.y 
osed, and through the interstices of which Mr. White 
Lid see the half-bewildered elephants pausing and look- 
ig round with some anxiety for their invisible pursuers^ 
I" Now we have to separate them," said his guide, adding 

courteous invitation to " come and see." They clam- 
Wed over one of the avenue-fences and came into the 
4pen again, outside the greater enclosure, and now Whi e 
.,ould see that each of the sides of the large quadrang e 
(^as divided off into dozens of horsebox-hke compart 
Ipents, too narrow for an elephant to turn in^ and not 
,l„uch more than long enough to admit the ^o'^y^ J 
Itull-grown animal. At that end of each box which was 
Larer to the outer fence a large heap of tempting deh- 
..pacies was placed-sugar-eanes, juicy bamboo-tops, fruit, 
Wd leaves ; at the other end was a door which could 
linstantly be shut as soon as the " bird " was caged. 
! For the " caging " process a dozen active and experi- 
enced men were told off, and these, chnibing over the 
ihigh fence into the enclosure, and deftly dodging the 
. genUe attentions of any elephant that was disposed to 
1 be quarrelsome, succeeded in a very short time in boxing 
i' up every individual in a separate cell. The prisoners 

Mr White was informed, would soon be petted or starved 
I, or coaxed into a semblance of good behaviour. For those 



1 ^"^ 



HUNTING THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT 

that were minded to kick, a very effectual punishmei 
ay ready to hand-that of running a pole between tl 
legs, longitudinally with the body. After a few weei 
they would be removed one by one, in order of merit c 
docihty, to more comfortable quarters, where, after 
period of about five months, they would have learned t 
bear their human or other burdens. 



204 



CHAPTER XVII 

TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

le hyrax, the tapir, and the rhinoceros.-Mr. Elhott's attempt to 
I catch a hyrax.-A plucky Uttle beast.-The tapir a prehistoric 
i animal.— The Asiatic variety.-M. Benant's adventure. -Trying 
J *o catch a baby tapir.— Reckoning without the mother.— Fhght.— 
' Tapir verms Malay.-A timely shot.-The Asiatic rhinoceros - 
i A cowardly variety.-Roasting the Sumatran rhinoceros.-Another 
adventure of John White's.-The danger of possessing a lame 
j horse.— An angry rhinoceros.— Pursued and overtaken.— A narrow 
i! escape.— Death of the horse.— And of the rhinoceros. 

toRE or less intimately connected with the elephant are 
he rhinoceros, the tapir, and a remarkable Httle creature 
'if which very little seems to be known— the hyrax. Each 
|f these animals has a representative in either the South 
ir the West, but here we shall discuss only those specimens 
|l^Mch are found in the Eastern portion of the earth. 

At first glance the hyrax would seem to have no more 
to. common with the elephant than we have, for he is a 
,oft-coated httle thing, scarcely the size of a hare ; yet 
ihe modern zoologists, following in the wake of Cuvier, 
cell us that he undoubtedly is very nearly related to the 
rhinoceros, etc. The Eastern variety of hyrax is found 
in Syria and round about the Red Sea, and most probably 
is the " coney " frequently mentioned in Holy Scripture. 

205 



TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTINGS 

Mr. C. B. Elliott, the traveller in Palestine, occasionalli 

came across families of these little things, burrowing i 

the hills or among the ruins of ancient Eastern citie. 

and not unnaturally mistook them for a kind of earleJ 

or short-eared rabbit. J 

Once — and only once — he endeavoured to catch on^ 

He ran him down from the mouth of a burrow into 

narrow defile, wliich, curving round the foot of a hili 

came to an abrupt end two hundred yards farther on a^ 

the bottom of a low precipice. Mr. Elliott hailed tliii. 

precipice with delight, for he was bound now to have th« 

hyrax in a cul-de-sac, unless the little tiling tried to scati 

one of the two steep banks on either side of the pass, anc 

this was very imj)robable. ^ 

Finding at length that he had come to the end of his 

tether, the fugitive did not turn to bay as most hunted 

beasts would do, but, with his back turned to his pursuer; 

hopped from right to left, now and then pushing his nose 

under a huge stone, as though hoping to find shelter there, 

His would-be captor stood watching him three feet away/ 

expecting every moment that the creature would at least 

turn and endeavour to dodge between his legs. But the 

" coney " still gave no other sign of knowing that he wast 

" wanted " than before ; and, tired of watching thesei 

evolutions, Mr. Elliott made a grab at him. 

But he had not allowed for the animal's possessing quite i! 
an elephantine sense of smell ; as he stretched out his 
hand, the little head suddenly turned, the hyrax made a 
sideward spring, and bit his thumb to the bone. 

Mr. Elliott was neither a veterinary surgeon nor a game- 
keeper, and did not know how to collar a vicious animal ; 
he was, moreover, short-tempered, wliich a hunter of wild 

206 



tTAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

leasts has no right to be ; and, carried away by his feel- 
Igs, he snatched his hand free again, and aimed an angry 
^Lck at the offender. In an instant the formidable teeth 
iJere through his trousers, into his calf and out again, 
ricking, rather than tearing, the flesh painfully. 
• Beady now to laugh at himself for being frightened or 
Litwitted by such a contemptible foe, he stooped over 
lie animal, but was soon glad to spring erect again ; for 
stie hyrax immediately raised Ms head with the obvious 
oitention of driving Ms powerful httle teeth through the 
ijose or chin of his opponent. Foiled in this benevolent 
Ittempt, the hyrax still showed no sign of turning to flee, 
>ut stood looking, half inquisitively, half defiantly, at the 
Listurber of his peace. Mr. Elhott grew to Hke the 
iwsition less and less, and at length drew several paces 
wack, and the victorious animal, seeing a way of escape, 
^iuddenly darted between the explorer's feet and scuttled 
iioack towards his burrow, 

1 The tapir, as may be seen from a glance at a portrait 
fk him, is closely related to the elephant, the pig, and the 
kaorse, and, next to the hyrax, is to zoologists the most 
^interesting of the group ; for, hke the marsupials, he seems 
ialmost to have no business on the earth nowadays. He 
|l8 prehistoric, and absurdly out of date— behind the times 
^together, in fact. If, having the elephant, we can dis- 
jpense with the services of the mastodon or the mammoth, 
)we could equally do without the tapir, now that we have 
got used to a revised edition of him in the horse. 
I The truth is that, where natural man is concerned, we 
: often find a sort of imphed treaty with those of the lower 
Ij animals that are not required for food, personal adorn- 

207 



TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING) 

ment, or domestic use, and that do not avowedly threaten 
the Hves or the interests of the human race. Among th! 
few beasts that come within this narrow category is th( 
tapir, and to him man has tacitly said for countless cen' 
turies : " Leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone ; anc 
when I want thongs I'll cut them out of rhinoceros- oi 
cow-hide, as long as you behave yourseK." Thus, while! 
his early contemporaries are only known to the geologist 
the tapir himself still lives on, for he has generally kept 
to the conditions of the contract. ^ 

The Asiatic variety is to be found round about thej 
Malayan district, and is distinguished from the Western' 
species by having a longer proboscis, and by the posses-^ 
sion of a large white patch that extends over the beast 
from saddle to rump. The markings of the young, how- 
ever, are very different, the little things being covered^ 
with an orderly arrangement of light-coloured spots and. 
bars which, thrown into reHef by the black ground of' 
their hides, are very ornamental. '^ 

The desire to possess one of these Malayan baby-tapirs, 
for exhibition purposes, once brought M. Benant, a French 
museum curator, into very serious trouble. M. Benant, ] 
accompanied by a native guide, was searching for botanical ' 
and zoological treasures in the swamps of Malacca, when 
an old female tapir and her young one came suddenly into 
view from the other side of a fringe of bushes hard by. ' 
They were, no doubt, in search of mud wherewith to coat " 
themselves against the stings of the flies and scorpions, [ 
for at sight of the swamp both plunged eagerly forward 
towards the water and shme that lay at their feet. But 
scarcely had the mud touched her when the mother raised 
her head, sniffed the air sharply as though conscious of 

208 



TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

S presence of trespassers, and at length turned her eyes 

the two men who were but ill-concealed behind a tree. 

'The Frenchman was armed with a single-barrelled gun, 

fi the Malay with a spear and a heavy native knife, or 



i ' I shall shoot her and capture the little one," whispered 
iiant, as he raised his gun. But his marksmanship was 
i!t equal to his scientific lore ; the bullet missed the 
other, and lodged in the neck of the little one just as 
B was trying to persuade it to move to the far side of 

iGenerally the tapir is the gentlest and timidest of beasts, 
it even a human mother would not see her offspring 
lughtered without protest. With a roar of vengeance, 

e old tapir charged with incredible speed towards the 
be, and M. Benant frankly took to his heels. The native 
arled his spear at the charging beast, and, seeing that 

glanced off her shoulder, inflicting but a skin wound, 
img hand and foot to the tree, hoping to climb out of 
ach before she could get at him. But it was too late ; 
lie trunk was very large, and offered no more foothold 
ian a blank wall. In despair the Malay made a tre- 
.endous upward spring, hoping to reach a branch with 
is fingers, and so draw himself into safety. 
: Meanwhile, out of breath and half ashamed of himself, 
;>enant had halted behind a tree fifty yards or more from 
lie swamp. As he looked round, the Malay was making 
i-antic efforts to reach the branch ; his heels were nearly 
iree feet above the ground, and he was hanging on by 
ae tips of his fingers. But before he could get a surer 
old, the tapir had reached him in full gallop ; her pro- 
ioscis struck his calves violently, causing him first to 
! 209 O 



TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTINC 

swing like a gigantic pendulum, and then to lose his g 
altogether, and fall half stunned to the ground. 

In France M. Benant had seen a prostrate dog maul 
by a wild-boar,, and the tapir's next proceeding was 
horrible reminder of that experience ; for she gripped t, 
Malay between her forefeet, battered his body with hi 
snout, and at last, opening her mouth, seized his hip 
her powerful jaws. The pain seemed to rouse the nati- 
to his senses again, for with a stupendous effort ] 
wrenched his kris free from his girdle. 

Shivering to think of how little use this unwieldy weapc 

would be at such close quarters, the Frenchman thre 

aside his fears, reloaded his gun, and ran back to the fra 

almost as hard as he had run from it. And not too soon 

for at sight of the moving arm of the Malay the tapir k 

go his hip and seized him by the elbow so fiercely tha 

he screamed out with the pain. Reckless now of his ow] 

safety, and conscious of the uncertainty of his aim, th- 

impetuous Frenchman did not stop till the muzzle of hi 

gun almost touched the furious animal's eye ; then h. 

fired, and seldom has a tapir been killed at so close i 

range. M. Benant thus got two dead animals instead oi 

one living one, and saddled himself with a heavy surgeon's 

bill for his guide. 

When an artist wishes to paint a rhinoceros, it may be I 
noticed in nine cases out of ten that he chooses a par- \ 
ticular variety for his subject, and the result is that most 
of us have grown up in the belief that the rhinoceros is a 
beast that wears a skin at least three sizes too large 
for him. Now, this is to paint the evil one blacker 
than he is ; for, when we come to the facts, the skin 
of the animal is not at all a bad fit, excepting that of 

210 




An Infuriated Mother 

The tapir is credited with an amiable and gentle disposition, but when M. Benant 
shot a young one the mother charged furiously. The zoologist took to his heels, and his 
Malay servant tried to climb a tree, but the brute was upon him before he succeeded, 
and knocked him down and mauled him badly before M. Benant shot it. 



TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

i 

jie Indian species, which certainly does lie in generous 

olds. 

If " handsome is as handsome does " be not always 
[\ie, the opposite is certainly the case where the rhino- 
pros is concerned, no matter whether he hails from 
Lfrica, India, or the Eastern Archipelago ; and if the 
Lephant be the gentleman of the forest, his relative is 
iiie ill-bred curmudgeon who shambles his heavy-footed 
ifay through life quite regardless of the feelings of anyone 
ut himself. Some varieties add to this the vice of 
'Owardice. Two or three times M. Benant and his friend 
j^^indsor Earl tried to shoot the Sumatran rhinoceros, and 
;in each occasion he ran away from them, not even turning 
^hen he was hit ; and it is even said that this species 
dll flee from a good-sized dog. This is all the more 
urious in that he is generally of solitary habits, and it 
i when alone that most wild beasts are disposed to be 
ggressive. 

This particular kind is fonder than most of his family 
f wallowing in the mud, a propensity which sometimes 
rings him to an untimely end at the hands of the Malays. 
Jften by the close of the wet season the rhinoceros has 
ncased himself in a small mountain of clay, and, as this 
j.ardens, the creature can only hope to free himself from 
[is unpleasant coat of mail by the wear and tear of time. 
'Vhile he is thus hampered, a group of Malays will follow 
is slow movements, wait till he falls asleep, and then, 
dth the atrocious cruelty of their race, will hem him in 
,n all sides with rice-straw and dry wood, to which they 
et light ; flaming brands and faggots are then thrown 
in him till he is completely buried in a huge fire, and so 
k cooked, just as our gipsies at home roast a hedgehog, 
I 211 2 • 



TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

clay and skin coming off together when the roast ii 
" done." 

The rhinoceros of Cochin China is especially fleet of; 
foot, and is no less fierce than the African animal. When 
to excessive speed you add enormous strength and a horni 
long enough and sharp enough to go straight through then 
body of a horse and pierce a man on the other side, youj 
have one of the most dangerous antagonists that the earthi 
affords ; and it is not to be wondered at that twentieth-b 
century sportsmen have ground for complaint of the pre-l( 
vailing scarcity of these unpleasing animals. if 

But when Lieutenant White, U.S.N., whose elephant- 
trapping experiences have been related, was travelhngi 
through Cochin China in the forties, the hunter had not i 
far to look for game of this sort ; often it came to handij 
before he was ready, as once happened to Mr. White.] 
His horse had suddenly gone lame, and Mi-. White, who] 
had -thus been obliged to fall out from a boar-chase in -I 
which he had been engaged with some other travellers, 1 
was walking the animal back to the village from] 
which he had started. On emerging from the forest, he j 
came on to a wide stretch of grass-ground, skirted by ai 
cane-plantation, and dotted over with large, wide-;! 
spreading bushes. .] 

Soon he noticed that one of these bushes, which layy 
on his right front, was moving in a most unaccountable'! 
fashion ; there was Httle wind, yet the bush rocked andj 
heaved as though a storm were tearing at it. Curious as i 
to this phenomenon, the American touched his off-bridle' 
with the intention of approaching the spot ; but, instead d 
of obeying, the horse suddenly stood stock still, a tremor 
passing through the whole of his body. White used the 

212 4i 



rrAPlR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

mv very gently ; the horse snorted, but would not stir, 
id, on his bridle being jerked sharply, broke out into a 
[lightened neigh, and the rider could see the sweat start 
o^m the terrified beast's withers. Wilhng to humour him, 
rp pulled the other rein, and, seemingly dehghted at this 
3t)ncession, the animal started forward at a brisk canter, 
Diiite forgetful of his lameness. 

I Thus they came abreast of the moving bush about 

ifiirty yards away from it, and White half reined up, and 

ijirned to look at the cause of the mysterious motion. 

¥hat he saw was a single-horned rhinoceros, presumably 

•jisane with rage, goring and tearing and tossing the inno- 

[bnt bush till there promised to be very httle of it left by 

i|ie time his anger was appeased. Badly mounted as he 

[fas, the sailor had no desire for closer acquaintance with 

,b.ch a companion ; so, as the horse seemed to have got the 

letter of his lameness, he let him choose his own pace, 

cjid they moved on again at a smart trot. But now, 

Ither what httle wind there was changed, and so carried 

johe scent towards the rhinoceros, or else that furious beast 

beard the sound of the departing hoofs ; for suddenly the 

Untenant was conscious of a vibration of the ground, and, 

iurning his head, saw that the rhinoceros, evidently 

-ware that any two sides of a triangle are together greater 

r|han the third side, was coming in a straight line towards 

yhe beginning of the road which the hunted man was 

oping to reach — and at such a rate that only at full gallop 

liould a horse outrun him. 

No longer hesitating about using the spur, he worked the 

orse up to the top of his speed ; but it was hke turning 

p the wick of an exhausted lamp : the gallop endured 

or a bare minute, then the poor brute stumbled, slowed, 

213 



TAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

and, sweating at every pore, settled down to a despairing 
hobble, yet pricking up his ears and panting as the sound 
of the lumbering footsteps drew nearer. White had now 
rather more than half a minute in which to make up his 
mind as to his course. His gun, loaded in both barrels, 
was slung across his shoulder ; but, though he was far 
better in the saddle than the majority of sailors, as well 
as a remarkably good shot, he had had but little experi- 
ence in firing from horseback, and was too much a man of 
the world to risk experiments at such a time. 

One of two things he must certainly do, and that 
quickly : either turn the horse adrift, and rely for his j 
salvation on his own legs and aim, or else face his pursuer, j 
wait for his charge, and dodge it, repeating the manoeuvre 
till the enemy tired down or gave up the game. Con- ,) 
sideration for the horse led him to the second decision, 
and, disregarding his beast's fright, he swung him round 
on his haunches, and, standing up in the stirrups, awaited 
the rush of the rhinoceros. 

It came quite soon enough, and it was only by a short 
twelve inches that he avoided it. But the savage monster 
was able to pull up and turn much more quickly than the 
rider had allowed for ; and he had scarcely swung his 
horse round a second time before the rhinoceros was on 
him again. This time the horse, soaking with perspiration 
and lather, and fascinated by fear, could not or would not 
move. In vain the lieutenant drove the spur-rowels in, 
and in his frenzy of excitement struck the creature with 
his clenched fist across the crest. The poor "wretch stood 
quivering till the horrible horn was within an inch of his 
chest ; then, too late, he rose, shrieking, on to his haunches ; 
there was a ghastly, sickening concussion, and White, 

2U 



PTAPIR AND RHINOCEROS HUNTING 

; 

blowing too well what had happened, kicked his feet free of 
le stirrups, and sHd to the ground in a sitting position, 
]e poor horse's death-scream ringing in his ears the while. 
? Stiff and aching, he struggled to his feet and snatched 
1(S gun, just as the rhinoceros disengaged his horn from 
pie belly of the dead beast. 

\ " I'll make you pay for this," gasped the young sailor, 
pady in his fury to fight the murderer hand to hand if 
%ed were. His arm shook with rage as he took aim, but 

le ball nevertheless did all that was required of it ; it 
ifiught the rhinoceros under the shoulder, piercing the 
«dn just where it was tenderest, and the animal dropped 

1 his knees, bellowing and foaming at the mouth, and 
'hile the American was still debating as to whether a 
•econd shot was called for, the brute rolled over dead. 



215 



CHAPTER XVIII 

ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 



The home of the tiger.— Hindrances to his extermination.— A populaa: 
error concerning him.— His boldness.— Major McCarthy and thij 
Rev. C. Aoland.— A tiger in the grass.—" Stole away."— An awful 
moment.— Seized and carried ojBf by the tiger.— Shooting in vain.— 
How the Major saved himself.— A not vmpleasant method of loco- 
motion.— The Chinaman's notion of hunting.— A tigress caught in 
a net.— Dog diet for the captive.— Strange affection between a 
tigress and a puppy.— The tigress taken aboard ship.— Outram as 
a tiger-hunter.— An extraordinary snare.— Some canny Hindus.- 
Hunting the beast in the hills,— Stalking.— The tiger " earthed."—! j 
The hunters " treed."— Outram's magnificent courage. j 

The geographical sphere of the tiger is comparatively 
small, and if most of us had our way it would soon be a 
good deal smaller ; for brutes that, in the course of a 
twelve-month, devour twelve hundred human beings and 
over sixty thousand head of cattle in the British Indian i 
Provinces alone* form a branch of the mammaha that 
might well be lopped off. 

The tiger is quite confined to the continent of Asia, 
but we have no right to suppose that a hot climate is 
necessary to his well-being ; for he is often found high up 
in the mountains, and Professor Thomson tells us that 
he "ranges from the hot Malayan jungle to the icy 
* The figures are those of Mr. J. A. Baines, C.S.I., published in 1899, 

216 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

,iberian tundras." These northern animals are, how- 
ler, suppUed with a longer and more furry coat than 
tie Bengal tiger. 

In spite of the alarming figures quoted above, the 
Indian tiger is undeniably on the decrease— at least, 
rherever British sportsmen have penetrated; but we 
(lave seen in Chapter XV. that Eastern religious bias is 
1 thing to be taken into account where the destruction of 
kild beasts is concerned ; and as long as there are 
[Dious rajahs who, claiming descent from the gods, will 
<iiot permit the slaughter of tigers and other animals, so 
'long will these creatures continue to be a plague to man- 
Und and his property. Also, the native populations in 
'many parts are timid, and so fear to attempt the slaughter 
'of such a terrible foe. Had all India been peopled with 
^^redskins, or even with some of the negro tribes, the beast 
'might have been annihilated long ago. 
ii But, to give even the tiger his due, there is one popular 
error concerning him that should be corrected. Many 
ipeople still beUeve that he kills for the mere lust of MUing, 
Jwhether he is hungry or not. This is totally untrue, as 
:weU as contrary to Nature. But the mistake has arisen 
Ifrom grounds that have made such a behef to some extent 
excusable. Travellers have seen a tiger bring down a 
: sambur or an ox, eat only a small portion of the carcass, 
and then disappear. But that tiger had every intention 
I of coming back to finish his meal. Again, he has been 
j accused of blood-thirstiness, on the score of his having 
i been known to slay first the sheep and then the shepherd. 
• If the shepherd had left him alone, he would probably not 
1 have been hurt ; in killing him, the tiger was either making 
i sure of his meal, or was indulging in his equivalent to the 

217 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

" swearing " which you may hear from the most respect- 
able household cat if you threaten to take a mouse away 
from her. 

One point in his nature which should surely command 
our admiration is that he is seldom a coward. It might 
be argued that he has no need to be ; but that is not quite 
true, for, besides man, he has formidable enemies among 
the reptiles, and in the bear, the wolf, the buffalo, and 
the orang-utan. Yet, for boldness he has no equal among 
the brutes ; and if a Hon, or even a hysena, will carry off 
a defenceless and soHtary man, a hungry tiger will some- 
times rush fearlessly into a crowd of men and seize one of 
their number in spite of shouts and shots. 

The Kev. Charles Acland, the mihtary chaplain already 
mentioned, gives a good instance of this audacity on the 
part of the Bengal tiger ; and he shows at the same time 
how, in a contest between man and beast, man's quicker 
wit and greater power of will and resource may decide 
the day in his favour, no matter how heavy the odds 
against him may seem to be. Mr. Acland was bear- 
hunting with a brother officer, Major McCarthy, and, 
finding sport slack and their appetites sharpened, the 
two men had sat down under the shade of a high bank, 
and proceeded to attack the luncheon-basket which their 
coohes had brought them. They were in the middle of 
their repast, when one of the cooHes came running up 
again to say that he had seen a tiger stretching himself 
in the long grass farther down the road. The chaplain 
jumped up and took his gun, but the Major preferred to 
finish his meal in comfort. 

"Humbug!" he said. "Don't go, Acland; these 
fellows will tell any He to curry favour. There hasn't 

218 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

.U a tiger seen for weeks. Oh, aU right^; go, if you're 
Lt on it ; I shall catch you up presently." 
The clergyman accordingly followed the coolie over the 
ink and across some fifty yards of broken ground, to 
,e edge of a patch of jungle. The native had not lied, 
k there, sure enough, was the little path made by the 
4ssing of the animal's body ; and Mi'. Acland paused, 
|bely deciding to go no farther till McCarthy and the 
kt of the coohes should arrive. He was straining his 
Ls over the surface of the long grass to detect any sign 
k movement, when the native uttered a low-voiced 
kclamation and pointed dramaticaUy to liis far left. 
Vcland turned hastily and saw that, thirty yards away, 
he grass was waving gently in such a manner as 
ould only be caused by the progress of some large 

,»ody. , 

" We shall lose him altogether at this rate, he said 
Levishly. But the native pointed out that the moving 
)ody was following a distinctly curved line which, if 
persisted in, would bring it into the open, close by the 
ligh bank, a hundred yards or so lower down the road 
than where the two officers had been resting. 

" There ; the heaven-born will see that I was right !" 
,said the coohe, as he pointed triumphantly towards the 
Ibank on their left. A magnificent tiger, ten feet long, 
was calmly stalking out from the grass, and, not deigning 
I to notice the two men, sprang Hghtly over the bank and 
i disappeared in the road below. ^^ 

i " Come along ; the Major shan't have it all to himself, 
said the chaplain ; and both started running along a 
diagonal path which should land them about midway 
i between the spot where the tiger had disappeared and 

219 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

that at which they had left the Major. In a minute oi 
two they had reached the bank, and, holding his gun in 
readiness, Acland cautiously chmbed up the slope, from 
the top of which he would have a good view of the road 
either way. 

More used to such work, the native arrived on the 
ridge first, but had no sooner gained it than, covering his 
face with his hands, he fell back screaming hysterically. 
With a swift spring the chaplain arrived at the top of the 
bank, and stood there for a moment with his eyes starting 
out of his head from horror. Then, raising his voice to 
a shriek, he cried, " McCarthy ! McCarthy ! God !" 
and for a moment it seemed as if he, too, would fall 
headlong down the bank. j 

A hundred yards away, the remaining cooHes were 
running hke frightened deer; Major McCarthy was 
stretching himself in a half -recumbent position, evidently 
just rousing from a nap ; and within a few paces of him 
was the tiger. 

With a wild shout to the horror-stricken coolie, Acland 
leapt into the road, and, not daring to trust his nerve for 
a long shot, was setting off at full speed, when the 
tiger made one spring, and instantly his teeth were in 
McCarthy's leg, and the bewildered man, now for the 
first time conscious of the brute's presence, was lying 
half slung over his captor's neck. 

The terrified cooUe had come to his senses again, and, 
once more clambering over the bank, was keeping pace 
with the chaplain, who was running and shouting like a 
madman. At the rate at which they were pursuing, they 
must soon catch the tiger ; for he was trotting along 
contentedly with his burden at hardly more than a 

220 




An Exciting Experience 

The tiger seized Major McCarthey by the leg, and swung him over its back. 
His horrified friend tired, but missed the animal and grazed the Major's arm. There 
was then a sound of three shots in quick succession, and the tiger rolled over dead ; the 
Major had succeeded in drawing his revolver and had shot it in the head. 



I ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

tin's swift walking step. Within forty yards Acland 
tiled up, levelled his gun, and fired. Certainly the 
imal looked round ; but if hit, he did not change his 

ice. 

"Shoot, shoot, shoot! Better kill him than " 

reamed the chaplain, as he pushed another cartridge 
to his breech ; and the coohe fired, with no better success 
jlan his master. 

Acland had his finger on the trigger a second time, and 
;as straining every nerve for a more certain aim, when 
U sun-rays flashed on something bright that the Major 
kd in his hand. Then there sounded pop-pop-pop— 
iiree cracks of a revolver ; and the tiger fell without a 
roan, as McCarthy, with a powerful jerk of his body, 
prang clear of the terrible jaws. Another moment, 
nd they would have locked on him hke the teeth of a 
pring-trap. 

The soldier struggled to his feet, and hmped cheerily to 
neet his friend. " It's all right ; I'm not hurt," he cried, 
bnd hastily gave some directions to the coohe, relative 
o skinning the beast ; for, under an Indian sun, putre- 
action begins to set in almost immediately after death, 
•endering a skin worthless unless it is removed at 

Dnce. 

" Not hurt ?" ejaculated the clergyman. " Where's 
that come from, then ?" and he pointed to the Major's 
left hand, down which blood was running in streams. 

" Who fired that first shot ?" inquired McCarthy. 

" I did." 

" Thanks, old chap," said the Major, pulhng up his 
sleeve, and, to Acland's horror, showing a shght bullet- 
wound in the fleshy part of the forearm. 

221 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

" After both of you had had a try, I thought it wm 
my turn to begin," he said, laughingly cutting short hii 
friend's apologies. " I never travel without this ;" h( 
returned the revolver to his hip-pocket. " I couldn't gel 
at It at first ; indeed, I don't know that I wanted to at 
the start. Most comfortable sensation, being carried 
along by a tiger, I assure you. Try it. But this one wag 
a poor hand at man-catching ; kindly offered me his ear 
as a mark. I couldn't help kilhng him." 

It should be explained that men who have been carriec 
off by a hon or tiger, and have yet hved to talk about it* 
all agree that the preHminary shake, which these wild 
beasts give to the living prey that they have seized, acts 
as a distmct sedative ; and that, so far from consciousness 
of pain, they have experienced quite a soothing sensa- 
tion. Most of us will be quite ready to take their word 
tor it. 

If the Asiatics are loath to attack the tiger boldly, many 
of them are very clever at trapping him. Some take a 
middle course, or a mixture of trapping and hunting. 
Lieutenant White one day came across an enterprising 
Chinaman who was snugly encased in the cage which 
White had supposed to be intended for a tiger, while that : 
beast himself lay dead outside. The " cage " was really ' 
a fortress made cunningly of stout bamboo poles ; the ' 
man entrenched himself therein to act as combined bait ^ 
and executioner, and, by imitating the cry of a goat, '^ 
soon attracted a hungry tiger which the Chinaman had ^ 
been able to shoot at his leisure during his frantic efforts ^ 
to get at the tempting morsel behind the bars. 

One would as soon think of finding affection in a boa- 
constrictor as in a tiger; yet almost every work on 

222 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

itural history gives instances of tigers that had more 
,^an mere cupboard-love for their keepers, and were even 
I friendly terms with beasts of a different family, 
aturally the tigress is affectionate towards her little 
les (by the way, she conceals them from her mate just 
[[ the Honess does, and for the same gruesome reason : 
jlat the father should not be tempted to make a meal of 
jkem) ; but Mr. White, while waiting in Saigon for his 
iip to take him up, witnessed a singular instance of 
Ifection between a tigress and a puppy. 
|l A magnificent " royal " tigress had been captured out- 
|de the town in a trap that was scarcely remarkable for 
Is ingenuity, seeing that it was merely a thick bag-net, 
\g meshes of which the animal might, if left alone long 
aough, bite or tear through, even if she did not walk off 
i^ith it bodily. However, she was firmly secured, dragged 
ito the town, placed in a strong iron cage, and exposed 
) pubUc view. The question naturally arose in White's 
Ipad, What was she going to be fed on ? But this 
roblem presented no difficulty to the native mind ; dogs 
jre plentiful enough— a pubhc nuisance, in fact— in the 
ast. 

J On dog diet, then, she was put, and every day two or 
iree of the wretched animals were hustled into the cage. 
jv'ith each shrinking victim, no matter how large, the 
I gress played as a cat does with a mouse, and ended by 
laking a meal of him. But, on the fourth day of her 
aptivity, some evil-disposed person thrust a six-months 
]ld pup through the bars, and madame, of course, swooped 
own on it. But, to every one's surprise, her own in- 
luded, the pup, on finding himself between her forepaws, 
|ave a vicious yap, and, springing up, drove his Uttle 

223 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

teeth into the tigress's nose. There was a " sensation 
in the crowd ; and it swelled to a cheer when the monste 
stooped her head and began to hck and fondle the little 
thing as if it had been her own baby. From that tim 
forth she allowed the pup to come and go as he pleased 
whenever he visited her she Kcked and caressed him 
and seemed disconsolate when he left her at evening 
Once or twice a similar pup was substituted for h© 
favourite by the keeper ; but the tigress was not to b( 
duped, and each time unhesitatingly devoured thi ' 
impostor. 

When White's Captain came ashore, he and the othei 
officers " clubbed " to buy the tigress, and she was taker 
on board ; but long before the ship reached San Francisco 
she quarrelled with her pet, and he had to be kept out oi 
her way ; and, as food-supplies were running low, the ] 
Captain was eventually obliged to shoot her for fear she 
should starve. 

To go back to the subject of trapping, George VignOj 
the explorer, while in the North of India, came across 
really brilliant method of catching tigers, which is sai 
still to be in use. He was staying with General (the: 
Captain) Outram, and both were seated in an elepha 
howdah on the way to a tiger hunt, when the elephan 
stopped short and absolutely refused to proceed. At the 
same time roars of anger and pain came from a most ' 
extraordinary-looking object that was rolhng and writhing 
under a tree a little way ahead. ^ 

" Hullo ! A tiger," said Captain Outram. ' 

" Doesn't look much Uke one," commented Vigne. 
" Come down and see ; he can't hurt you." 
The elephant was persuaded to " duck," and both 

224 ^ 

I 



I ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

iglishmen, taking their guns, walked towards what 
Dked like a moving and very noisy compost-heap. At 
\ser quarters Vigne saw that this object was a tiger, 
lothered from head to foot with leaves. The animal, 
fdng no notice of their presence — he certainly could 
It have seen them — was tearing up the earth with 
> claws, pausing now and then to run a few steps 
;.ckwards Hke a bUnd-folded cat. Outram raised his 
jn, and with one shot put an end to these miserable 
juggles. 

The canny Hindus had spread the ground with large 
jives, smeared with bird-hme or some other sticky sub- 
ance ; and the tiger, taking his walks abroad, naturally 
id not gone far before one of the leaves adhered to his 
iw. In trying to rub it off he had gathered more ; then 
id brought his mouth into action, and accordingly 
heared that and his eyes ; half bhnded, he had rolled 
j?-er and over furiously, gathering more and more leaves, 
'itil at length, helplessly entangled, he had given way to 
3spairing rage, unable to see, and therefore to protect 
.mself. But for Captain Outram's gun, he might 
We gone on making bad worse, till the natives who 
ere in hiding chose to come and put him out of his 
jisery. 

j Outram's reputation as a slayer of tigers is still pro- 
Lrbial in India. Mr. Vigne says of Mm : " He seldom 
[ent tiger-hunting without incurring risks ; I have known 
jim kill two tigers in twenty minutes." But if the great 
)ldier carried daring to the verge of foolhardiness in his 
)orts, he was also ready, at need, to save a fellow-man's 
,Ee at the risk of his own, by the exercise of his splendid 
jurage. 
I! 225 P 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

He, Vigne, and a young Lieutenant of Outram's regi | 
ment, one day went tiger-hunting on foot in the moun j 
tains. After half an hour's cHmbing they came upon thjl 
footprints of the animal they sought, and, stalking him ' 
cautiously, at last came in sight of him looking down 
at them from a well-wooded platform some distance 
higher. Vigne fired and missed, and the tiger took to his 
heels. But the three men lost no time in scrambling up to 
the level, and arrived there just soon enough to see th| 
animal's tail disappear among the trees. Spurred by th* 
excitement of the moment, they gave chase, and at lengtH 
came in sight of the fugitive again. He was running at 
a slightly less rapid pace than theirs, and did not increase 
it when conscious of their presence. j 

" Woa ! Slow up," whispered Outram. " He's goingp' 
for that little cavern, I beUeve." 1? 

The Captain was right ; the tiger bolted straight into a 
cave with an opening about fifteen feet each way, and not 
very deep, judging from the fact that, once inside, he 
turned immediately, and the hunters could see his eyes 
flashing greenly in the darkness. 

" Up !" said Outram, with a gesture ; and he and the 
subaltern swung themselves into one tree, while Vigne 
cHmbed another a Uttle farther off. 

" We shall get him if we have patience," said the Cap-i 
tain in a loud whisper. " Don't make a sound." 

Dead silence under such circumstances is apt to playi' 
havoc with the nerves, and after half an hour of it Vigne 
felt the strain getting the better of him. He peered > 
anxiously down towards the cave-mouth, determining 
that he would shoot there and then, if only he could i 
catch sight of the flaming eyes within ; but it goes without 

226 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

Mng that, from the height at which he was situated, it 
Is impossible to get at the animal. 
r Why not fire, and so fetch him out ?" he whispered at 
:^t, unable to endure the tension any longer. 
i " Keep quiet, can't you ? He'll come out fast enough 
i| soon as he's hungry," came the answering and not 
together comforting whisper. 

I Vigne had no watch on, so he began to count the 
jiconds, and had reached about six hundred, when there 
ime a sudden noise that turned him sick with horror : 
Le sharp, sinister crack of a brealdng bough. The young 
ijieutenant had chosen a branch that had a flaw in it, and 
^bw, without the least warning, it had snapped off like a 
;it of seahng-wax ; the poor boy fell heavily to the 
jl-ound, and lay there quite unconscious, less than fifteen 
set from the mouth of the cave. 

ll Vigne thrust his head through the leaves to consult his 
Iq'iend by a look, and at the same moment an ominous 
jjlrowl and stir came from the cave. He saw Outram un- 
Aing his gun ; then, apparently thinking better of it, he 
hit it back again, and without a moment's hesitation 
; egan resolutely to swing himself to the ground. 
i " Come back ; you must be mad," gasped Vigne. 

The moment his feet touched the ground the Captain 
iiad his gun in his hand again, and, in a couple of strides, 
ie was standing over the prostrate lad with the muzzle 
jointing at the cave. Vigne pulled himself together. 
; " I'll back you up," he cried, and prepared to descend. 
3ut at his shout the hidden tiger uttered an angry snarl, 
:md Vigne felt instinctively that the beast was springing. 
aLe was right ; for a second, a blurred yellow mass seemed 
.o hang in mid air, and, while it was still there, both barrels 
I • 227 P 2 



ADVENTURES AMONG TIGERS 

of Outram's gun went off, each sending a bullet into the 
chest of the tiger. The beast was dead before he could 
fall, but the momentum of his spring carried him well; 
forward, so that the whole of his four hundredweight | 
missed but a few inches of falling on the body of the now | 
reviving subaltern. 



228 



CHAPTER XIX 

HUNTING WILD BEASTS OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS 

i Different homes chosen by wild beasts. — The ibex, the argali, and the 
kiang. — Pursuing an ibex. — Worse than chamois -hunting. — A 
terrible abyss. — A perilous chmb. — The retreat of the ibex. — 
Method of the animal's flight.— A twenty-five foot leap.— The 
j argali, or mountain-sheep. — A ram as big as a bull. — An extra- 
! ordinary fight. — Subsequent conduct of the victor. — An awkward 
h position for flight. — The wild ass, or kiang. — Sir James Abbott. — 
I Friendly Turcomans. — A kiang -hunt. — Badly mounted. — Abbott's 
' disappointment. — Trying to catch the ass. — A kiang that showed 
'i fight. 

;|We must now turn our attention to some of those wild 
beasts whose timidity of disposition urges them to seek 
shelter in places that are, in the main, inaccessible to 
their more dangerous enemies. Every animal instinc- 
iltively looks for refuge to that quarter which his physical 
''development will enable him most easily to reach, pro- 
vided it be one which affords such means of Uving as he 
lean accustom himself to. Thus, while the seal betakes 
I himself to the water, the mole to the ground, the monkey 
to the trees, and the bat to the air, creatures hke the goat 
or the wild ass seek the mountains and the plateaux, 
relying on their sureness of foot to carry them safely along 
i narrow paths or steep inclines, and trusting to their 

229 



HUNTING AVILD BEASTS 

hardy digestive organs to thrive on the scanty food which 
the high lands afford. The pursuit of them must there- 
fore necessarily be hazardous, and productive of exciting 
adventure, as we shall see from the following facts relating 
to the ibex, the mountain-sheep, and the wild ass. 

The ibex and the mountain-sheep, which latter is also 1 
known as the argali, both inhabit Central Asia, the ibex ' 
trending rather to westward, and the argali more to north < 
and east. Mr. Peter Dobell, the Siberian explorer, met 
with both animals during his wanderings between the Altai'^ 
and the Tien Shan Mountains. The ibex he found differ-' 
ing but slightly from the Alpine animal of that name,' 
and the pursuit of him unpleasantly recalled the perils 
of chamois-hunting. 

Mr. Dobell was given to taking long, solitary marches 
or rambles, preferring to rely on his own instinct rather, 
than to place himself at the mercy of stupid or knavish' 
guides, who, more often than not, were in league with the 
mountain-robbers. On one of these lonely journeys into 

J 

the hill-passes he came upon eight of these ibexes : seven 
in a close group, and the eighth midway between him 
and them. As he had often coveted their handsome 
ribbed horns, which he had seen in the huts of the peasants, 
he determined to possess himseK of a pair ; and as thej 
group, though more distant than the single animal, was 
the easier shot, he fired at one of them, reserving his 
second barrel for the sentinel-Hke beast nearest him, in 
case of need. The shot took effect, but, as ill-luck would 
have it, he had aimed at the ibex that was nearest the! 
edge of the high platform of rock on which they werc| 
standing ; the creature fell forward out of sight, and 
before the hunter could bring his second barrel to bear on 

230 



OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS 

;ftnother, all had disappeared, wheeling away up a sort of 
orkscrew path to the right. With some difficulty, Dobell 
truggled to the top of the platform, and walked to the 
pot where the dead beast had been struck. But where 
e had expected to find a mere drop of five or six feet, he 
teaw an almost bottomless abyss, and one more step would 
jhave carried him into it after the ibex. 
I He sprang back horror-stricken, and, going to the 
farther side of the Httle platform, decided to follow the 
upward path which the game had taken, in the hope of 
still being able to secure one of the animals. Up this he 
plodded patiently, but at the end of half an hour he 
seemed to have made but little progress ; there was no 
game of any sort in sight ; each fresh stage of his climb 
promised to be more perilous than the one before, and, 
experienced mountaineer though he was, he could not 
altogether keep his mind from dwelling on the uncomfort- 
able problem of how he was to get back. 

Thus, promising himself every moment that he would go 
but a few steps farther, he continued to mount, and at 
last his perseverance was rewarded ; for he came to 
another platform much longer than the last, bounded on the 
one side by the same terrible precipice-edge as before, and 
on the other by a sheer face of rock up which not even an 
ibex could climb. At the far end of this, where the plat- 
form either tapered off to a point or else wound out of sight 
round the waist of the mountain, were the seven fugitives. 

Creeping as close as possible to the rock-face, he stole 
swiftly forward, and at last, singling out that one of the 
unsuspecting animals that was farthest from the brink 
of the abyss, he fired, and the ibex dropped. 

Evidently the end of the path did not taper off to 

231 



HUNTING WILD BEASTS 






1 



nothing, for four of the panic-stricken creatures rushed 
along it and disappeared as Dobell hurried towards themi 
One of the two survivors was about to follow the lea4 
of the others, but his courage seemed to fail him at thd 
last moment, as well it might ; for when the hunter cami 
to examine that terrible path afterwards, he found tha 
it dwindled to a mere ribbon-strip, and, for aught that b 
could tell, ran on in this way indefinitely. 

The second ibex saw the enemy rapidly coming nearer, 
and, no longer hesitating, turned his back on the way of 
escape which the others had taken, and sprang boldly 
across the chasm. Dobell drew up, and, following the 
fugitive with his eyes, saw for the first time that the hill 
on the other side of the abyss offered a similar platform 
to that on which he was standing, but narrower and a i 
good five-and-twenty feet lower ; and at this apparently 
inaccessible point the ibex had leapt. We may imagine 
the explorer's astonishment when the creature landed 
lightly on his feet, and without a stumble ran away out 
of sight. The remaining ibex now followed his example, 
and with equal success, leaving Dobell alone wdth the 
carcass of the animal he had killed, and scarcely able to 
beheve his eyes over the feat which he had just wit- 
nessed. When we remember that twenty-five feet is 
rather more than twice the height of a reasonably lofty 
room, we shall not wonder that the ibex is a difficult 
animal to pursue. 

Some time after, Mr. Dobell renewed an acquaintance 
with the argali that he had already made in Manchuria. 
Even if, as Cuvier asserted, the Asiatic ibex is the stock 
from which our domestic goat has sprung, it is not easy 
to see that the ram, as we know him, is a very close con- 

232 



OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS 

:3xion of the mountain-sheep ; for this creature is almost 
is big as our bulls, and not a whit less dangerous as an 
ntagonist. His horns, the roots of which meet in the 
'kntre of the forehead like those of the musk-ox, take a 
■raceful sweep upward and outward, gradually curve down 
gain to the level of the eye, then make another upward 
ifid outward turn, each ending in a point that was in- 
fended by Nature to be sharp, but which has become 
lunted by contact with the rocks, and more particularly 
Y the numerous fights in which these ferocious animals 
n often indulge. The size of the horns may be gauged 
om the fact that one of them, if pulled into a straight 
lie, would measure just on four feet ; and when shed, 
" knocked off in a combat, or left behind by a hunter, 

hill-fox will seize on it and make a permanent home 
side it. 

Mr. Dobell witnessed one of these celebrated fights one 
ay, between a sheep that he had tracked to the top of a 
ill-ridge, and a second beast that seemed to be under 
le impression that the other mshed to deprive him of his 
late. The ridge was Uke a razor-edge, and after having 
roceeded along it for a dozen yards, Dobell had decided 
) abandon the chase, when the second argali made his 
ppearance on the far side of the first. How they held 
leir ground Dobell could never discover, but they 
larged full-speed at one another, and met in a shock that 
ould have hurled even the most active and powerful 
Lan straight down the steep hill-side. Yet, so far as he 
)uld see — and he was barely out of gun-shot — neither 
as in the least affected by the colhsion. Each backed a 
w feet, then the two pairs of horns crashed together 
jain, with no more ostensible result than before. Again 

233 



HUNTING WILD BEASTS 

tliey separated, and again they closed ; but this time t 
horns got entangled, and the two bodies rocked fierce! 
from side to side ; yet the hoofs, firmly planted on t! 
narrow footway, never seemed to stir. At last they sh<ii 
free again, and, without stopping to take breath, ea 
lowered his head and butted once more. 

Perhaps this might have gone on for hours, but t! 
sheep which Dobell had been pursuing happened, in one| 
of his charges, to throw his head on one side, so that his 
right horn caught the end of his opponent's right, and 
with such force that it broke o£E like a green branch, 
leaving it hanging by a few fibres. 

But the wounded animal had not long to wait for his 
revenge. Instead of running back to buck, he lowered 
his head till it met the chest of his antagonist, and then 
by sheer force he pushed him off his feet and over the! 
ridge, so that he fell hcad-over-heels to the bottom. 

As he had now seen as much as he wanted, Dobell turned 
and began his perilous walk back to the beginning of th^ 
ridge ; but he was still twenty feet from anything like sui 
ground, when he heard behind him a galloping that couLi 
only proceed from the victorious argaU. He turned t( 
look ; the angry creature, maddened with the pain of h' 
fight, and somehow connecting the hunter with it, wa i 
bearing down on him, and in less than a minute must read 
him if he remained where he was. 

Dobell swiftly weighed the chances of his certain ain 
against those of being knocked headlong down the slopes 
and felt that the balance tipped in the wrong direction 
Once on the platform in which the ridge ended, he woul( 
wilhngly try conclusions with the animal ; and, keepin| 
bis eyes fixed ahead, never daring to look down, he coverec 

234 ' 




A Fight between Argali 



The two huge beasts charged again and again without result, until the horn of one 
was broken. The wounded animal was, however, equal lu the occasion, for he got his 
head under the chest of the other, and lifted and puhtd him over the edge of the 
precipice. 



I OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS 

lose seemingly interminable half-dozen yards, and at 
Lgth landed safely on the edge of the Uttle tableland, 
len turned to await events. 

The enraged argah came bounding on, clearly unable 
^ stop himself ; and, quick to take advantage of this un- 
bntrollable speed, the sportsman sprang hghtly to one 
|de. The ram, in his mad career, rushed straight past 
Itm, and of course Dobell had him at his mercy, and with- 
jfit any difficulty he sent a buUet through him as he turned 
pr a second charge. 

ji The kiang, or Thibetan wild ass, is markedly larger than 
'jhe ordinary donkey, and, in place of the cross which that 
Quch-enduring animal bears on his back, has but a single 
alack mark that runs longitudinally. Experienced 
lunters say that there is scarcely any wild beast so diffi- 
cult to capture ahve, for even the foals are as fleet as ante- 
opes, and the exquisite acuteness of their senses of 
learing and smell warn them of man's approach quite 
Boon enough to enable them to reach their mountain 
strongholds, whither only a goat or a chamois could follow 

bhem. 

But the Turcos, Thibetans, and Afghans are, as a whole, 
Jiardy mountaineers, as well as good shots ; and as they are 
all very fond of the flesh of the wild ass, which Europeans 
also esteem highly, they are quite content with taking the 
dead animal ; and they even organize systematic hunts 
for the Mang, just as the Kafirs do for the quagga. 

Among the men who have tried very hard to take a 
five kiang was the late Sir James Abbott, an old school- 
fellow of Lord Beaconsfield, and one of the most brilhant 
products of our Indian Army. While returning from his 

235 



HUNTING WILD BEASTS 

celebrated ride to Khiva, he fell in with a tribe of friend! 
Turcomans, and these, though they laughed at the projei 
he had formed, of catching a kiang alive, were very proui 
to have him accompany them on a hunt after a herd o 
these animals ; and jfive of them agreed to take him anc 
his Afghan servant into the hills for that purpose. 

Soon after leaving the camp, two of the party were sent 
on ahead ; the duty of these was to follow an enormous 
curve that would enable them to sneak round the sidei 
of the hill-range,^ and cut off any of the kiangs that had( 
ventured into the open in search of pasturage. The resti 
rode more slowly in a straight line for the hills. 

Captain Abbott was the first to catch sight of the! 
coveted beasts, a large herd of which stood peacefully! 
grazing, about a furlong on the hither side of the nearest^ 
hill. He pointed them out to one of his guides. 

" Good," said the Turcoman. " Now we must all puUi; 
up, and wait until we hear our comrades fire." 

The signal was not long in coming. What, in the far 
distance, had looked like two isolated members of the' 
herd, proved to be the advance horsemen, who, in spite of' 
the animals' extreme watchfulness, had managed stealthily 
to creep between them and the hills. At the first sound | 
of a gun, the riders gave their horses their heads and)* 
galloped madly towards the startled herd. i 

But now it seemed as though the Captain was to be i| 
baulked of his share in the sport. On quitting the camp i 
he had left his heavy service charger behind, and was i 
riding a horse borrowed of the Turcomans ; fast enough, t] 
but not up to the weight of a powerfully-built man Uke | 
himself ; and while his companions rode forward like the I 
wind, he was doomed to make what pace he could. Re- i 

236 ' 



OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS 

sing his servant's offer of an exchange of mounts, he 
odded on, but only came up with the liunters when a 
)zen ass-carcasses lay on the ground, and the remainder 
the herd had escaped. 

But while the Turcomans wereofiering their condolences 

id apologies, the Afghan touched his master's arm and 

)inted across the plain. As luck would have it, there 

as a straggler trotting up and down in bewildered 

shion, looking for his lost companions. 

. " No, no ; don't shoot," pleaded the Captain to his 

Lts ; " I mean to have this one. If I can't break him 

i[ no one can ;" and he spurred towards the sohtary ass. 

iJThe three best mounted among the Turcomans galloped 

rlirward, and easily succeeded in heading off the frightened 

ieature, which turned and trotted dejectedly towards the 

iaptain. All the horsemen were now spread round him, 

jkd there looked to be no possible way of escape. 

" Oh, for a lasso," said Abbott. 
I The Afghan drew his pistol and would have fired, so 
[p to maim the animal ; but the burly artilleryman re- 
iscted the proposal. 

^ "If once I can get my arm round his neck, he'll not get 
^ay till some of you have put a halter on him," he 
aid. 

I But suddenly, to every one's amazement, the kiang 
!,uickened his pace to a gallop, and rushed open-mouthed, 
Lot at the Captain, but at his horse, which he evidently 
iionsidered to be his main enemy. Then, for the first 
iime, Abbott reahzed that even an ass may be a dangerous 
.pponent ; for the beast half-reared and bit the horse 
.n the nose, then caught the bridle with his teeth and 
ore at it. The soldier stood up in the stirrups and threw 
i 237 



IN THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS 

his arm round the creature's neck ; but muscular thoug 
he was, his strength was but a child's against that of th 
wild ass ; the animal jerked his head free, and it was onlj 
by the merest chance that his teeth missed the Captain'i 
hand. 

Of course the horse was now beside himself with frigh 
and made no delay about swinging himseK out of th 
way as soon as he found himseK clear. Then, foiled o: 
one enemy, the kiang turned on the Afghan ; but tha' 
person had no intention of risking his hands on so savagt \ 
a beast. Instead, he drew his heavy sabre, and with oil< 
blow killed the brave httle animal. ] 



1 



238 



CHAPTER XX 

ADVENTURES AMONG YAKS AND BUFFALOES 

e yak. — An animal easily acclimatized. — The yak's method of attack. 
— Another adventure of Mr. Vigne's. — A hunt that occupies some 
days, — A perilous mountain-chmb — The first yak shot. — Sudden 
J appearance of a herd.— An awful predicament —Climbing out of 
! danger, and falling back into it. — An unexpected awakening. — 
! The explanation.— On again after the herd.— Inconvenience of 
1, being entertained by an Oriental —A dreary prospect.— Snow.— 
I The final disappointment.— The Eastern buffalo.— His one good 
I quahty.— Stalking a buflfalc— An unlooked-for appearance.— 
I Tiger and buffaloes.— The result of the conflict. 

IF the goat, the sheep, and the ass have untamed relatives 
iiat flee to the mountains to escape from man, although 
ley can do him serious injury if driven to bay, so also has 
le ox ; for in the yak of the Himalayas and Thibet we 
|,ave merely a large, hairy, humped cow or bull. Most 
jsaders have probably seen a menagerie specimen of him, 
OT the yak is very easily acchmatized, so much so that 
Irojects have been formed — and, in France, carried into 
jffect — for bringing these mountain-cattle to Europe, 
!,nd breeding them for the sake of their valuable hair, 
^his movement is regrettable in that most wild beasts, 
i^hen pressed into the service of man, markedly deteri- 
rate in strength, size, and beauty. The sportsman who 

239 



ADVENTURES AMONG YAKS 

has shot the wild yak while on his native hills would 
scarcely agree that he bears any more relationship to the' 
grunting, raw-boned creature which, under the name ol; 
" yak," may be seen drawing a wagon in the Central' 
Asiatic villages, than the kiang does to the costermonger's 
donkey. >^ 

When an animal that weighs close upon half a ton andij 
is a foot, or more, longer than the domestic ox, takes toi 
running up mountain-paths or jumping from crag to 
crag, the man who would hunt him must be prepared tol 
take his chance of a little rough handhng ; for Mr. G. T.I 
Vigne tells us that if once the yak loses his temper he will^ 
often pursue the offender relentlessly, and never be satisfiedj 
till he has got him beneath his feet. When this agreeable! 
situation is arrived at, there is only one more stage in the^i 
proceedings ; the yak lies down somewhat abruptly,! 
throwing all his thousand-pound weight on the haplesal 
individual underneath. Of course he can — and sometimes' 
does — use his horns, which are finer and larger than those 
borne by any of our domestic cattle ; and anyone who has 
ever come within a few yards of an infuriated bull knows - 
whether a beast thus armed can be troublesome, even' 
when his intention is to repel rather than to detain his! 
enemy. 

While Mr. Vigne was travelKng through the Himalayas 
he several times saw sohtary yaks on the heights ; but 
as he had heard a bad character of the animals, and wasi 
quite inexperienced in the hunting of these, he left them^ 
alone, and forbade his servants to interfere with them. 
But, as he neared Kokan, he fell in with a Syud, or petty' 
ruler, whom he had met further south, and who insisted' 
upon his~staying with him for a few days at his mountain 

240 



AND BUFFALOES 

Jhting-lodge close by ; and. on hearing that Vigne had 
'|rer yet shot a yak, he at once promised him plenty of 
h sport on the morrow. 

" You have happened on a fortunate time," said the 
'jud. "My men have been in the mountains for two 
{ys trying to drive the game down." For the yak is 
ii hardy that he can live and find food even as high as 
JB perpetual snow-limit, 

jlln the morning the hunters set out, and, guided by the 
iouts of the beaters, followed one of the winding paths 
;;iich, at a fairly easy slope, led ultimately to a pass wide 
I ough for a dozen men to walk abreast in. They climbed 
jeadily on, and at last reached a part where the path 
ased to wind, and became, instead, a perfectly regular 
iclined plane that would end in the pass about thirty 
iirds higher up. 

I They had scarcely begun to chmb this when the Syud 
opped. 

" Listen," he said. " The shouts are farther away, 
here !" 

A cry came very faintly, as though from the far side 
the mountain, instead of from above them, as its pre- 
cessors had done. " Either we ought to have taken the 
her path, or else the herd has broken through the line 
beaters," he resumed. 

Just then another cry — this time most certainly one 
ther of fright or warning — came more clearly, sounding 
i though it proceeded from the far end of the path ahead. 
" Had we not better push forward ?" asked Vigne. 
For answer the Syud pointed to the crags above them 
1 their right hand. There, sure-footed as a goat, a bull 
ik was stepping from rock to rock, looking about him 

241 Q 



ADVENTURES AMONG YAKS 

J 

as though he suspected an enemy behind every boul(^ 
He was a magnificent beast, black and white, with a frill ! 
or skirt of silky hair hanging the whole way round |j| 
body from breast to buttock, and with an immense bush 
tail that was a perfect plume of long fine hair. Indeej,, 
it is largely on account of his handsome tail that tH 
beast is so persistently hunted ; more often than not it i 
used by Eastern aristocrats as a brush to scare off tl 
flies ; and it is said that no tame yak is ever seen wearii 
this appendage, his owners having turned it into monej 
The Syud pointed to Vigne's gun, intimating that 1 
left the shot to him, and the Englishman fired ; the bu^ 
fell forward, rolled to a projecting rock some twenty few 
lower, and lay motionless. 

The Syud was beginning to offer lengthy congratulu: 

tions when a heavy stampede sounded in the pass abov^i 

then, suddenly, a dozen yaks appeared at the top of tl 

sloping path, and, on catching sight of the hunters, swe| 

down it like a pack of hounds in full cry. There wi 

little time for words ; the Syud's attendants were still » 

the foot of the hill, or had joined the beaters on tl 

heights. He had but a single-barrelled gun ; Vigne h^ 

only one barrel loaded. On the left, escape was impossibl 

for the path shelved off into a slippery, grassy slope th.: 

did not offer so much as a rock or a bush behind whici 

to shelter, and that never stopped till it merged in tl 

plain below. Down this the sure-footed herd could pursi 

and overtake them as easily as if they remained whe 

they were. The right side was a little — only a Uttle- 

more promising. It began with a steeper incline tht 

either of the others, that ran for about ten yards upwards 

if they could cover this space before the infuriated ya: 

242 



AND BUFFALOES 

ikched them, all might be well, for above it was an 
ciegular belt of rocks near the spot where the dead yak 
Ikd fallen, behind which they might hope to entrench 
s0mselves, and fire and reload comparatively at their 

llThe herd thundered down the path ; the two men 
([changed glances, and silently began to scale the slope. 
Ipping and stumbhng and scrambhng — for a recent frost 
?Ld left the usually moist clay with a coating of ice on 
|— the fugitives pressed breathlessly towards the rocks, 
'^d were still a few feet from the top of the slope when 
le foremost yaks, straining and sUding, began to draw 
)\i at the spot where the hunters had just been standing, 
hen Vigne heard behind him a succession of angry 
iunts hke those of a discontented hog. He dared not 
rn to look, but pushed doggedly on, working hands, 
iliees, and toes together. Then a hurried exclamation 
Jiade him look upwards : the Syud had reached the rocks, 
rad, chnging there with one hand, was holding out the 
j|;her to help his guest. A vigorous pull hoisted him on 
U safer ground ; but either he sUpped, or else the Syud 
[ft go his hand too soon ; at any rate, the next thing he 
:iiew was that he was rolling over and over, back again 
h the path where the yaks stood, pawing the ground, 
ishing with their tails, and grunting. 
I' The sky seemed to be faUing on him, the mountain- 
Ijde to be coming up to hit him ; the grunts of the yaks 
ij'A^elled into a mixture of unearthly and human-like 
^sreams ; then the mountain appeared to turn right over 
I nd fall upon him ; a dull pain spread through the back 
I f his head ; then something icy-cold touched his brow, 
jnd he sat up, rubbing his eyes. 

243 Q 2 



ADVENTURES AMONG YAKS 

The yaks had disappeared ; in their place stood th 
Syud, his attendants, and a dozen of the beaters, while i 
little Ghoorka was standing by him, holding a handful o;, 
snow to his forehead. The Syud held out his hand ant 
assisted him to rise. 

" What's this ?" asked Vigne. " Have I been fainting 
or dreaming ? Where is the herd ?" i 

The Syud laughed and patted his guest's shoulder 
" They have given us the slip," he said. " Yes ; you 
head struck that mound of frozen earth, and you la} 
insensible. I almost met the same fate in trying to com. 
down to reach you." i 

" How long have I lain here, then ?" 

" Some minutes. My men had let the herd breal 
through them, after all ; and in trying to get to us U 
warn us, overtook them at the end of the pass. The;: 
were following immediately behind the yaks, as w 
might have seen if we had not been — otherwise engaged.'- 

" 0-ho ! But — how was it I escaped the brutes ?" ' 

The Syud burst out laughing. " You frightened ther 
out of their wits ; they saw you rolHng towards them 
and they wheeled off down the green slope as if you hai 
been a cannon-ball. But see, here come your spoils." 

Two of the beaters were carrying between them tli 
skin and horns of the yak which Vigne had shot. i 

" Have we lost all chance of them, then ?" he asked. 

*' Oh no ; the hunt has not commenced yet. If yo 
feel well enough, we will go on to the pass." 

Vigne, who had sustained no worse ills than a shaldn 
and a severe headache, cheerfully accompanied the Syu 
and his attendants, while the beaters went off in a 
directions to join their fellows. It was now afternoor 

244 



AND BUFFALOES 

it the Syud gave no sign of wishing to return home, and 

je EngHshman patiently accompanied him the whole 

igth of the pass, then up one slope and down another ; 

er a chasm so wide and deep that, but that the honour 

his nation was at stake, he would have decUned leaping 

III and even then was fain to shut his eyes as he sprang ; 

id, finally, on to a path that was merely the narrow brink 

' a precipice. Here the keen easterly wind cut like a 

^jythe, and filled his eyes with water so that he could 

tly follow bhndly and trust to his luck not to carry him 
er the brink. 

I Dusk was coming on rapidly, but an Eastern potentate 
I not the sort of host to whom one can give a friendly 
lint about fatigue, dinner, fire, and a bed ; and Vigne 

ent stubbornly on, setting his teeth, and vaguely 
iondering how the Syud proposed to find his way home 
iji. the dark. It was his first yak-hunt, and he swore 
Irivately that it should be liis last. 

At length the horrible path did widen out, and into a 
pod broad road ; and the Syud came to a sudden stop 
ehd pointed upwards. Nearly two thousand feet over 
leir heads a broad tongue of flame was shooting out. 

Good ! Some of them must have come across a herd," 
le said. 

Vigne's heart sank. " Er — do we go up there now ?" 
le faltered. 

I The Syud blew a silver whistle, and the attendants, 
l/ho were lagging behind with baggage, hastened forward. 
I " Oh no ; we shall eat and sleep now : we can do nothing 
aore till dayhght comes." 

The prospect was not alluring, for snow was beginning 
o fall heavily ; but as a choice of evils it was to be pre- 

245 



ADVENTURES AMONG YAKS 

ferred to a two-thousand-foot climb at that time of day I 
An enormous fire was soon Ht, and the mystery of th<f 
small, awkward bundles with which some of the servantf , 
had been hampered all day was now explained ; ioi^ 
meat, fruit, coffee, cakes, and blankets were soon forth 
coming, and, tolerably well sheltered under overhanging 
rocks, the whole party passed a comparatively com 
for table night. 

When Vigne awoke at sunrise, fires were blazing ii-; 
twenty different spots on the ridge ; and, against th< ' 
snowy background, dozens of yaks and hundreds o: 
ibexes could be seen patiently searching for food. Buii 
before breakfast was finished, a thick fog unexpectedly! 
settled over the mountains, cutting off even the nearesffj 
fire from sight. The hunters waited an hour — two — threeij 
and at last a sharp wind got up ; mist and fog disappeared' 
and the sun lit up every peak and ridge and chasm ir 
view — a magnificent sight to an artist, but one calculatec' 
to drive the hunters to distraction, for not a single yal^ 
was in sight. The herds that it had taken some days tc' 
beat up and drive towards a convenient spot had escapee 
in the fog ; and the mortified Syud was forced to owrs 
himself beaten by circumstances, and to lead the way 
back to his house. 

The buffalo of the East, though near of kin to the yak' 
is quite the opposite in his tastes, for he prefers intenst" 
heat and low, muddy plains or marshy forests ; more-' 
over, he is as ugly as the yak is handsome. The menta 
picture which most of us draw of him is really a mixture 
of the American bison and the South African buffalo— 
the latter a fine, dignified-looking beast. But the Asiatic 

246 



AND BUFFALOES 

lEalo is nothing like this ; he has a dirty, bilious-looking 
4, long, almost straight, horns, wliich, when he erects 
tlhead, seem to He along his back ; and his face is dismal, 
itgreeable, and stupid. He is one of the most quarrel- 
:ne beasts in creation, and will turn and slay his own 
^iod-brother on next to no provocation. 
iJBut he has one undeniable virtue for which we must 
ie him full credit. One Asiatic buffalo probably kills 
I many tigers in the course of a year as twenty natives 
||t together. His method of kilHng is illustrated by 
|ie following adventure, which happened to the late 
Liajor Leveson while he was buffalo-hunting near the 

jiianges. 

h He had stalked a sohtary bufialo for some two or three 
utiles, and at length had the satisfaction of seeing him 
l.)me to rest by a forest pool which, at that season of 
! tie year, contained quite as much mud as water. The 
i,[ajor determined to try a long shot, for there was no 
Innd to be taken into account, and it is never wise to 
j-enture too close to a buffalo pool ; where there seems to 
igie but one animal there may be a score, all more or less 
> uried in mud. 

He fired, and the effect was not a little startHng. 
'he buffalo fell, either dead or mortally wounded ; and 
,t the same moment a tiger, which hitherto had lain 
'oncealed in the long grass twenty yards nearer than the 
.lajor to the pool, sprang up as if the bullet had pierced 
lim, and plunged off at a frightened gallop towards the 
vater. 

The hunter reloaded, and crept gently forward, not 
iverse to securing an extra tiger-skin when it was thrown 
n his way in this unlooked-for manner. But all of a 

247 



ADVENTURES AMONG YAKS 



I 



sudden the tiger slowed up, looked on either side of hi 
then back at the Major ; and Leveson had him " sighte 
when all at once the mud of the pool seemed to be moving 
in every direction, and up sprang ten or a dozen clay^ 
covered buffaloes, which, apathetic enough over tlw 
death of their brother, were yet prepared to bid defiance 
to the ancestral enemy that was coming to disturb theiii 
repose. One of them, while the tiger and the sportsman 
were both hesitating, struggled out of his soft bed, and,: 
standing on the bank with nose lowered, appeared to be^ 
sniffing the ground. ! 

Obviously the tiger misHked the situation ; he wasi! 
hungry, but so were the jackals and vultures, and it| 
looked very much as if they would get their meal before j 
he could procure his. Then a second buffalo came forward,' 
dragged himself on to the hard ground, and stood by the 
side of Ms friend. Finally the first trotted forward to 
inspect, with the evident intention of lashing himself into] 
an unexpected charge. 

But this he left rather late ; he came within a doze; 
feet of the enemy, and where is the tiger that cannot! 
spring at least fifteen feet ? The hungry beast rose, 
without a moment's warning, and fell, with all his tre- 
mendous weight, on the buffalo's neck and haunches, 
of course bearing him to the ground. The bull did not 
rise again ; still the tiger did not seem quite at home ; 
instead of tearing open the flesh and glutting himself 
with the blood of his prey, he cast another furtive glance 
towards the pool. By this time there were four buffaloes 
on the bank, and, as the tiger looked round at them, the 
foremost lowered his head till his horns were almost 
parallel to the ground, and shot Hke a cannon-ball at the 

248 




A Match for the Tiger 



The tiger had disturbed a herd of buffaloes who were enjoying a mud bath. One_ oi 
them charged him, but was brought to the ground. The second one, however, shot like 
a cannon-ball at his foe, and, before he could turn, sent his horns through him, killing 
him at once. 



AND BUFFALOES 

jungle monster before he could turn and cease to offer 
him a broadside at which to charge. 

The horns went straight through the animal's body, 
one apparently touching some vital part, for as they 
were withdrawn he fell motionless. Then the buffalo, 
as though he felt that he had done his duty, walked witli 
sulky sedateness back to the pool. Major Leveson was 
a brave man, but on this occasion he let his buffalo and 
the dead tiger remain where they were, and without 
delay set off in the opposite direction to rejoin his com- 
panions. 



249 



CHAPTER XXI 

WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

Great numbers of boars in the East. — The boars of Andaman. — 
Dr. Mouat's survey. — Forced into a boar hunt. — The Lieutenant's 
foolhardy shot. — Charged by the herd. — The attack on the two 
doctors. — Catching a baby-boar. — The evil consequences thereof. 
— Comedy verging on tragedy. — Saved by the gunner's mate. — 
The H.M.S. Samarang expedition to the East Indian Archipelago. 
— A native wild-boar hunt. — A brave Dyak. — Chasing a fugitive 
boar. — The boar tied up on the main deck of a battleship. — His 
behaviour. — His plucky escape. 

The wild boar is associated in the average Englishman's 
mind far more closely with France, Germany, and Poland 
than with the East. Yet throughout Europe it is fast 
becoming extinct, and in less than a century from now 
the hunter is as little likely to come across one of them in 
Central Europe as on Hampstead Heath, where, by the 
way, boars were common enough in the twelfth century. 
But in the East the process of extermination has still 
not gone to very great lengths. A ham or a boar's head 
has no temptation for the palate of a pious Mussulman ; 
and so long as the owner of the ham or head does not 
interfere with the crops or the young bamboo shoots, 
Mussulmans and Buddhists alike leave him in peace for 
the most part. Therefore, as, like other varieties of the 

250 



WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

big, these animals breed on a very large scale, the East 
Indies and China are still overrun with them. 

Although America and South Africa have some strange 
land wonderful specimens to show, the Eastern wild boar 
does not differ greatly from the land found in Europe. 
tin appearance he is a gaunt, muscular-looking edition of 
|our own domestic boar — smaller in the hams and broader 
!in the chest. The hide of the young animal is of a yel- 
lowish brown, but with advancing years this develops 
into brindled grey, or sometimes coal-black. In a general 
way the females are not aggressive, except in defence of 
their young ; then they will bite like bulldogs, often in- 
flicting as much injury with their teeth as their mates 
could do with their tusks. 

The ugliest, if not quite the most ferocious, type is 
commonly found in Sumatra, the Nicobar Islands, and 
South Burmah, though its original home was probably the 
Andaman Islands, whence the establishment of the great 
convict-station has routed it. 

Just after the Mutiny, however, when Surgeon-Major 
Mouat, Inspector of Indian Prisons, was sent to Andaman 
to arrange about the site of the new penal settlement, 
the country round was overrun by these creatures ; and 
he and his subordinate. Dr. Playfair, had plenty of hog- 
hunting. 

Their first experience in this direction was forced upon 
them rather than sought by them, for at the time it began 
they were peacefully occupied in land-surveying. A 
short distance away, a naval Lieutenant and a small guard 
of bluejackets were keeping them in sight, for the good 
conduct of the savage Andamanners (or Mincopie) was not 
altogether to be relied upon. 

251 



WILD-BOAK HUNTING IN THE EAST 

Finding the time hang heavy on their hands, the sailor^ 
had begun to stir the bushes round about in search of 
possible game. Near by where the Lieutenant stood was 
the mouth of a tiny valley choked with saplings and brush-! 
wood ; and, seeing a dark body moving within, he some4 
what inadvisedly drew his revolver and fired at the dusk^j 
object. A squeal of combined fury and agony followed th 
shot, and immediately the bushes separated, and ou 
rushed, not one wild boar, but nearer a couple of score 
Just in the nick of time the young officer took a flying 
leap over a low bush-hedge, and landed where he was well 
screened from danger. The herd rushed madly forward, 
followed more slowly by the unlucky one that had been 
wounded by the revolver-bullet, and charged straight 
through the already scattered and now startled guard. 

Of course, all the sailors were armed with loaded rifles, 
but no one dared fire on the spur of the moment for fear 
of hitting his fellows. Butt-ends were accordingly 
brought into play, and with these and the revolver of the 
officer, who had now rejoined his men, three or four of 
the animals were killed. The rest made a stampede for 
the hillock where the two army surgeons were at work, 
too engrossed with their measurements to have paid any 
attention to the noise below, which, from the men's 
laughter and the delighted barking of the ship's dog, they 
did not suppose to give warning of any danger. 

Dashing straight at an old warrant-officer who stood 
agape, the pigs knocked him down, raced over his body, 
and scaled the hill like a pack of wolves, leaving Dr. Mouat 
bare time to snatch up the rifle which he had prudently 
laid close at hand. Without more ado he emptied both 
barrels into the little herd, and then clubbed his weapon, 

252 



I 



WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

^iit the same time gently backing towards the place where 

'j'le supposed his companion to be standing, so that they 

?j2iight fight back to back till relief came from below. 

j But this resistance startled the boars, and, instead of 

■i3harging the doctor, they drew back in a grunting, 

-squealing semicircle, " leering like Mephistopheles " — as 

ghe afterwards said — and erecting their hairpin-like 

Jbristles till they looked like a group of short-quilled por- 

jlcupines. The interval thus gained Mouat employed in 

reloading one of his barrels, and now aiming at the most 

i vicious-looking of the assembly, he fired again. The boar 

I dropped, and his brethren, instead of charging the mur- 

jiderer, as American swine undoubtedly would have done, 

turned in a body, and fled back towards where the sailors 

were coming to meet them at the double ; all except one 

, little pig — the baby of the herd — which, frightened and 

,ll bewildered, began to run round and round the hill- 

I summit. 

/ Meanwhile Dr. Playfair had had no sport at all, for the 

i hogs had hitherto been placing themselves between him 

ii . . 

I and the spot where his rifle lay. He was an ardent zoolo- 
gist, as well as a most successful tamer of wild beasts, and 
the sight of the baby-boar now careering helplessly about 
the hill-top was a greater temptation than he could resist. 
" I'm going to have this one if I die for it," he shouted ; 
and, leaving his friend to pursue the others or not, 
according to inclination, Playfair made a clutch at the 
tiny pig. 

Those who have watched rustic sports know that to 
catch the young domestic porker is no trifling task ; and 
here was a creature that probably had never before seen 
a human being, and that came of a stock as fleet of foot 

253 



WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

as hares. The doctor dodged ; so did the pig ; and the 
chase began. At length, attracted by the grunts at the 
foot of the hill, the little animal doubled, and began to 
make a determined dash to reach his friends. In so 
doing he ran straight into the arms of his pursuer, who 
was just then on the brow of the slope. The doctor 
stooped, grasped the young boar by one of its fore-feet ; 
then, missing his footing, rolled, pig in hand, down the 
slope towards the very midst of what was left of the herd. 

For a moment Dr. Mouat was speechless and powerless 
with laughter, but it soon became apparent that the acci- 
dent was no joking matter. Playfair was a big, heavily 
built man, and, once he started rolling, was quite unable 
to stop himself. Holding firmly by his captive, in spite 
of its snapping at his wrist with teeth not so small but 
that they could inflict a painful bite, he clutched at every 
bush or blade of grass that might check his downward 
career, but in vain. Meanwhile the herd, furious at the 
indignity put upon one of their number, had wheeled 
round, and were waiting to give the offender a warm 
reception. 

The sailors, fully appreciating the horribly dangerous 
plight in which the doctor must now find himself, yet not 
daring to fire for fear of hitting him, redoubled their 
speed ; and now, dreading every moment to see the unfor- 
tunate man torn to ribbons by the enraged boars, set to 
work, some with cutlasses, others with butt-ends, to 
drive off the enemy. Attacked thus in their rear, the 
savage beasts left the prostrate man, on whose body they 
had been preparing to execute a sort of war-dance, and 
turned on the sailors, leaving Playfair, still pig in hand, 
with no worse harm than a bite on the foot from an old 

254 




Attacked by Boars 

Dr. Playfair captured a fine young pig, but its squealing excited the fury of a full- 
grown boar with tremendous tusks, which charged at him full speed. The doctor 
would not release his captive, and had not a timely shot from an old gunner s mate 
stopped the boar, matters would have proved very serious for him. 



WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

^ow, which was speedily put to flight by a vigorous lunge 
from the doctor's spurred heel. He was scrambling to his 
."eet, too dazed and giddy to notice that a steady rifle- 
bre was going on from somebody close to him, when, at 
another despairing squeak from his prisoner, a full-grown 
boar, the sight of whose tusks was enough to make a man 
shudder, turned and charged at the unarmed doctor. 
j Playfair looked desperately round him for a weapon of 
some sort, but nothing lay to hand. If he let his pig go 
now, he knew that, when the tale got about, he would 
ibe subject to the sort of ridicule at the hands of his brother 
lOfflcers that a healthy EngUshman dreads even more than 
death ; yet, so long as he held the httle beast, he was 
exasperating the on-coming boar as well as diminishing his 
own chance of self-defence. 

11 He was still standing irresolute, with the boar scarcely 

now a half-dozen feet away from him, when some one 

growled in his ear, " I think this'U do his business, sir " ; 

and then a rifle went off almost at his very elbow, and 

ithe boar fell, tearing up the earth with his tusks, and 

' unable to move. The old gunner who had been knocked 

down by the herd on their way to the hill had been 

quietly avenging the insult to his dignity by taking up a 

, point of vantage and picking off the outlying animals, 

! one at a time, as fast as he could reload his rifle ; and, in 

I all probability, the old fellow's cool-headedness and 

I accurate aim had saved the doctor's life. 

Whether the young boar thus captured was ever suc- 

I cessfuUy tamed or no does not transpire. The French 

naturalist Louis Figuier says that the animal, when 

taken young, is " capable of a certain amount of training, 

I grows fond of his master, and likes to be petted." 

255 



WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

Another attempt at taming one of these Eastern boars 
was made by a naval surgeon, Arthur Adams, who ac- 
companied Sir Edward Belcher's surveying expedition of 
the East Indian Archipelago, on board H.M.S. Samarang. 
While lying off the east coast of Borneo, Dr. Adams and 1 
some of the ship's officers were invited by the son of the "' 
headman of a coast village to a native boar-hunt. In the 
Far East, on the outskirts of almost every village, may be 
found any number of holes in the ground — some that have 
been used as wild-beast traps ; others the remains of dis- 
used wells whose sides have fallen in, and the openings of 
which have become choked with vegetation. In such i 
holes as these the boar loves to hide, and will sometimes 
make one of them Ms lifelong home, from which he occa- - 
sionally sallies out in search of food or for converse with * 
his kind. It was to a patch of ground dotted with such ^ 
pitfalls that the Dyaks now led their guests. The English- 
men were armed with rifles, and the natives with long, 
iron-headed spears ; and the party was accompanied by a 
small pack of savage dogs of Bornean breed. 

The dogs wasted little time in turning out the game. 
The East Indian method of hunting the boar is to send 
the hounds on ahead, and, by the time the spearmen 
arrive on the scene, they expect to find the animal routed 
out, penned in by dogs, and quite ready to afford them i 
all the sport they require. On this occasion no one was : 
disappointed, for irate squeals and savage barkings an- ' 
nounced what had happened before ever the hunters got 
inside the low coppice where the pits were. 

The boar proved to be one of the hugest of his species — 
grey-black, whiskered, tufted, and tusked, and about as 
ugly and malevolent-looking as he was long. Already 

256 



WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

ko of the dogs lay on the ground, ripped up, and writhing 
I their last agony ; a third was worrying the incensed 
rute's hocks and hams ; a fourth was just recoiling with 
is cheek laid open— the result of an attempted snap at 
jiie boar's snout ; while a fifth had seized the game by 
he left ear, and was hanging on as though his hfe depended 
pi his hold ; and, in a great measure, it did. 
i The Enghshmen, seeing how things stood, left the sport 
p the hands of their hosts ; for they had only their guns, 
4,nd there was not much satisfaction to be got out of 
making a mere target of the boar. 

i And now the beast's extraordinary strength became 
mdent, for, with a swift backward jerk of the head, he 
uddenly pulled the huge hound that held his ear right 
dS his fore-feet ; then gave a lunge forward again, scream- 
„ng with pain the while, and flung his persecutor sideways 
io the ground. The courageous hound would not, how- 
3ver, leave go of the ear in which his teeth had met ; and 
t was only after another desperate jerk that the boar 
pould free himself, when, leaving half his ear in the dog's 
mouth, he made a determined charge at the Dyak spear- 
men. Two of these were so startled at the vigour of the 
animal's onslaught that they turned and fled without 
further parley. But the headman's son, a mere boy, who 
jwas really the point at which the boar was aiming, did 
not give back an inch, but stood with lance extended, 
[waiting for the adversary to come on. 
I Adams and the other officers, with a low murmur of 
'applause at the lad's cool pluck, at once pointed their 
guns in case the young Dyak's nerve should fail him at 
the last moment. But the boy stood firm, and, as the 
boar made a dash at him, drove his spear well home into 

257 R 



WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST > 

the animal's fleshy neck, and there kept him, as it were 
at arm's length, while those of the Dyaks who had notj 
fled speedily put an end to him. 

It was late in the afternoon before a second boar was 
discovered ; and he, unlike his brother, never gave the 
dogs a chance at liim, but set off at full speed downhill 
towards the sea-beach. Hunters and hounds followed 
as fast as they might ; but though they searched till 
the Samarang^s sun-down gun summoned the officers 
on board again, no trace of the fugitive was to be^ 
seen. 

The Englishmen had taken leave of their entertainers, 
and had got off in the pinnace that had been sent ashoret 
for them, when suddenly the doctor espied a black head- 
swimming across the river-mouth just outside of which] 
the ship lay at anchor. He pointed it out to the First- 
Lieutenant, who at once exclaimed : " Why, there goes,' 
our boar !" i 

" If we could catch him " hinted the surgeon. j 

" Why not ?' The Lieutenant gave a couple of rapid 
orders to the crew, and the boat swung round into the J 
little cross-current against which the boar was trying to -\ 
make headway, and in a dozen strokes was abreast of j 
him. Meanwhile, plans for his capture were being ^ 
matured, and as the men rested on their oars, the petty- f 
officer who had come ashore in charge of the cutter's crew ^ 
deftly dropped a noose over the swimmer's head and drew ^ 
it tight. , 

" What now ?" asked the Lieutenant. ^ 

'* Tow him aboard, sir, if he won't tow us," suggested ; 
the man. 

This was done, the officers in the stern keeping the boar ^ 

258 



I WILD-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

4t a respectful distance by means of a couple of boat- 

iiooks. 

• The crew were soon safe on board, but still there was 
ihe problem of the boar, which at present was grunting 
biteously about the ship's side, waiting to be hauled up. 
Jhow to get him up without his doing damage to the 
►haulers was the difficulty ; for one sight of the hideous 
tead was sufficient to make most of the sailors stand 
^Eiloof . A shark or a sea-lion or a sea-serpent would have 
teen all very well, but an object like this was out of their 
jline altogether. 

I " Now haul away there, some of yer !" roared the petty- 
>bfficer who had performed the lassoing feat, setting the 
^texample himself ; and between two or three of them the 
L fortunately for them — half - unconscious boar was 
[dragged on board ; and, before he could become ofEen- 
fteive, was hustled between two guns on the main deck 
I and' made fast there with a rope extending taut from 
' feach gun to his neck. 

^ All that evening and the next day the men pressed 
^various sorts of food on him, but he refused everything, 
knd looked so uncommonly wicked whenever he was 
^approached that men who would have tackled a shark 
|or a dozen savages singlehanded found themselves look- 
l|ing nervously at the ropes that held him, to make sure 
l^that he could not escape. Dr. Adams still hoped at least 
I to keep him alive, if not to tame him ; but these hopes 
{Iwere dissipated when, about the middle of the third day 
'of captivity, one of the men shouted that the boar was 

■ escaping. 

Somehow or other he had gradually wriggled his head 
jback through the noose, which his captors had naturally 
1 259 R 2 



WII.D-BOAR HUNTING IN THE EAST 

feared to draw too tightly when he was made fast to the 
guns ; and while the onlookers were arming themselves 
with mops, ropes-ends, or hand-spikes, the persevering 
beast made a dive through a port, and was soon swimming 
landwards. 

" Bravo !" cried the Captain, who, with Dr. Adams, 
had come on the scene. " Give him a cheer, men." " 

And being honest fellows, who liked to see fair play 
and no favour, and the best man winning, the crew cheered 
roundly, while the victorious boar landed safely and 
scuttled off to his native wood. 



260 



CHAPTER XXII 

ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY AND THE AMERICAN 
BLACK BEAR 

brizzly or grisly ?— The terror of the North- West.— A zoologist's adven- 
tures amongthe trappers.— A hungry grisly.— Tracking " Ephraim." 

' —Pursued.— The sheltering bluff.- Caught by the bear.— Given up 
for dead.— The dead man comes to life again.— Chewed by a grisly. 
—Colonel Fremont.— The musquaw, or black bear.— An almost 
extinct animal.— Reduced to bear's meat.— Fight between two 
musquaws.— Treed.— Nearly buried aUve.— A resolute trapper.— 
Attitude of the Indians towards the dead musquaws. 

The correct spelling of the name of this monster of the 
West is a question for etymologists to decide . ' ' Grizzly, ' ' 
we all know, means greyish ; and more often than not it 
exactly describes the shade of the animal's coat. On the 
other hand, he has been known, for time out of mind, to 
naturalists as Ursus ferox ; and what adjective can better 
[express the Latin ferox than our own Anglo-Saxon word 
'"grisly "—».e., a wild thing, which is to be dreaded or 
shuddered at ? 

Grisly, then, let us call him here ; for if there be one of 
the MammaUa that is to be feared more than the lion or 
the tiger, it is he. 

In a general way the lower animals must be said to be 
' better judges than ourselves of the extent to which one 

261 



ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY 



I 



of their number is to be regarded with awe and respect 
and it is surely a significant fact that even the huge hal; 
starved wolves of the West dare not so much as touch a 
carcass that has been under the breath of a grisly ; more, 
that a herd of bisons will flee at his approach. Even after 
he is dead, few wild beasts will come near his corpse ; and 
the very sight of the skin after it has been removed from 
the dead body will create the greatest terror among them. 
Mr. Wood relates an anecdote of a hunter who had killed 
one of these creatures, and not being able by himself to 
carry home the skin, was obliged to leave it till he could I5 
return with assistance. The carcass lay unprotected for 
fifteen hours in a locality abounding with wolves ; yet, 
when the hunters arrived at the spot, there was no sign 
of any other animal having ventured within several 
yards of it. The same author adds that no American 
horse will allow a grisly-skin to be placed on his shoulders 
unless he has been specially trained thereto. 

How far this species of bear is actually carnivorous it 
is difficult to say ; for it generally happens that those 
travellers who have the most horrific experiences to relate 
are those whose testimony must be received with the 
greatest amount of caution. But we shall not stray far 
from the truth in saying that the grisly only eats the 
flesh of a living creature when it is impossible to obtain 
the roots or berries or other vegetable matter that are 
more properly his natural food. George Ruxton, a 
traveller and zoologist of some note in the middle of the 
last century, relates an instance of a flesh-eating bear 
that came under his notice while taking up his abode 
with some trappers in the backwoods, and one that is in 
all respects feasible 

262 



AND THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 

,'one day it was reported that a grisly had been seen in 
•[ther dangerous proximity to the camp. For him to 
.-jnture so near a human habitation argued that the 
iimal was hungry ; for, in most cases, he is possessed by 
•fie same instinctive, underlying dread of man that all 
'nld beasts have, no matter how ferocious ; indeed, it is 
if^en stated that, so long as he is not exasperated, the 
Ikere scent of a man's clothes will drive him away. 
ij Determined to be beforehand with the enemy, all the 
tappers turned out, Mr. Ruxton with them ; and break- 
Ig themselves up into parties of three, they began to 
Ixamine minutely the country round. With Ruxton were 
l^^rangois Sublette, a Frenchman, and a Yankee named 
GHass, the latter famed among the back^voodsmen for his 
pnswerving pluck and presence of mind, and his many 
.^ncounters with " Ephraim," as the grisly is popularly 
hamed among the trappers. 

From early morning till within a hour of dusk the 
teearch was in vain ; and the three hunters were deter- 
Itmining to go back to camp in the hope of their com- 
panions having met with better luck, when Sublette, who 
was walking a little ahead, suddenly stopped and held up 
k warning hand. Under a tree, and with his back turned 
', to them, was a bear nine feet long and weighing consider- 
I ably more than half a ton. 

i Glass raised his gun and fired off one barrel ; and, as 

I the animal dropped, Sublette fired twice, hitting him with 

both shots. Ruxton gave vent to a shout of triumph, and 

I started to run towards the fallen beast, but Glass pulled 
him sharply back. ^^ 

II " Go slow, partner," he said. " Yer never know 

His sentence broke off abruptly ; he stopped and half 

263 



ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY 

turned, as though to run back the way they had come 
while the Frenchman, clutching Ruxton by the sleeve, '. 
screamed in his ear : " Run, run — pour V amour de Dieu ! 
Back to the blufiE !" 

The Englishman needed no second telling, for at his 
shout the seemingly lifeless bear had risen to his feet,i 
and now, turning and seeing his tormentors, plunged 
towards them at a great rate, as though their bullets n 
were no more than peppercorns. Running close on Sub- 
lette's heels, Ruxton followed the Frenchman at full speed 
towards their only possible place of safety — a deep over- 
hanging bluff, which here and there might afford a foot- , 
hold for a man, on which, from its narrowness, the 
monstrous grisly would not venture. His flight led him 
by great good luck to a part of the cliff where ran a 
platform a foot wide, less than six feet from the top ; ten 
feet below this was a second and broader ledge, to which 
he could drop at need without much fear of losing his 
balance and falling down the remaining few feet to the 
low level. Shouting to attract the Frenchman's atten- ( 
tion to this, he lowered himself to the first ledge, where 
he was immediately joined by his fellow-fugitive. Arrived 
here, they had a moment's breathing-space in which to 
look for Glass, their eyes being now on a level with the 
ground which they had just passed over. 

The third man, less quick on his feet tlian they, as well 
as having been the last to flee, was still some thirty yards i 
from the bluff-edge, and the grisly was not twenty behind 
him. 

" Shoot ! Your gun is loaded !" shrieked Sublette. ', 

Ruxton cocked his gun, though well aware that he ) 
could only by an almost impossible miracle hit the bear ; '^ 

264 



I AND THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 

[or all three were almost in a straight line, Glass's body 
feting as a shield to his pursuer. 

: The Englishman looked helplessly at Sublette, who now 
Snatched the gun from his nervous hands, only to find 
?fchat, until the bear should rear, he was in no better 
^position to shoot than Ruxton had been. For a wonder, 
Ifthe grisly at that moment did elect to spring up on his 
slhaunches, and the Frenchman fired both barrels. But, 
[alas ! one bullet struck the low-hanging branch of a tree, 
land the other either passed through the animal's long fur 
or else inflicted a mere skin-wound ; for his pace was in 
no way diminished. 

i Guessing the state of things, and aware from the rapid 
■ and continued crunch-crunch on the dead leaves behind 
him that he would never reach the bluff, the wily Glass 
made a sharp half -turn to his right towards a great oak- 
1 trunk, hoping to be able to dodge the bear round it at 
least long enough to give his friends time to reload. But 
as he turned, his heel slipped on a wet fungus ; and, 
clutching desperately at the air with his right hand, and 
brandishing his weapon with his left, he fell backwards 
to the ground. 

A grey mist came over Buxton's eyes ; then for a 
minute the world went round with him, and he fell to 
the platform below. Meanwhile, Sublette, his hair on 
end with horror, had reloaded his own gun ; but, as ill- 
luck would have it. Glass had fallen behind the tree 
round which he had hoped to dodge ; and, before the 
Frenchman could take aim, the bear was sheltered by 
the trunk of that tree, and snarling over the prostrate 
man. Then, as might happen under similar circum- 
stances to the bravest of men, Sublette lost his head, 

265 



ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY 

and, unmindful that he was leaving in the lurch a man j 
with whom he had lived for more than ten years, he^ 
dropped to the ledge below, lowered the half-unconscious 
EngHshman to the bottom level, and hurried him off' 
through the twilight towards their camp. i 

The news that Glass was dead spread horror among e 
even these tough fellows, who were accustomed to carry 
their lives in their hands ; and several of them, tired '1 
though they were, set off with torches, determined to find if 
the remains of their friend and to avenge his death. But ^ 
the spot where the bluff-ridge was situated was five miles f 
from the camp ; the ridge itself extended any number of li 
miles in a curved line ; and Sublette being too unstrung 
to accompany the search-party, they were at last obliged ' 
to abandon their mournful task. i 

At breakfast the next morning Ruxton and Sublette ■ 
were giving a fuller account of their misadventure, when 
a pale-faced, weary-looking man limped painfully out from 
among the trees, and said in a cheerful, familiar voice 
that startled the trappers almost out of their boots : 

" Who'll go back an' fetch Ephraim's skin ?" 

The backwoodsmen could scarcely believe their own 
senses. There stood Glass, safe if not sound, and not so 
seriously injured but that he had been able to walk five i 
miles with an empty stomach, and could now stand ' 
grinning at his comrades' bewilderment. But, as the 
men pressed round him, he turned giddy and fell into a 
deep swoon. 

While restoratives were being applied, one of the men, 
with a sudden cry of horror, pointed to the hero's right 
side. His stout leather jacket had been torn into a hole, 
and his hip and ribs were horribly lacerated — not so much 

266 



AND THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 

[fcr claws as by teeth. Poor fellow ! the flesh was as raw, 
id one or two ribs as much exposed, as though half a 
ibzen dogs or a hundred rats had been gnawing at him. 
i was some days before Glass was well enough to be able 
3 give any connected account of his ghastly adventure. 
;W it transpired that the instant he fell the bear dashed 
Jipon him, planting one fore-foot on his right hip, which, 
lowever, was so well protected by the hunter's leather 
[[unic that the claws did not immediately cut a way 
jihrough to the flesh, though the weight of the great 
ihaggy paw kept Glass pinned to the ground. The grisly, 
between rage and hunger, then tore with his teeth at the 
;,brapper's side, and soon succeeded in snatching away a 
jmouthful of the clothes that protected his ribs. 

Meanwhile, the Yankee was not disposed to give away 
.his life. His gun had fortunately been at half-cock when 
jhe fell, so that the shock had not caused it to explode— 
for one barrel was still loaded. Gradually bringing the 
muzzle to bear on the hungry brute, and keeping the fore- 
finger of his left hand on the trigger, he pulled the hammer 
back to full-cock with his thumb. That moment he 
thought would have been his last, for, startled and further 
enraged by the click, the grisly gave a vicious snarl, and, 
digging his teeth into the now naked flesh, began de- 
liberately to gnaw it. 

Still the brave fellow did not lose courage. An inch, 
or rather a hair's-breadth, at a time he raised the gun- 
muzzle till it covered the hairy throat ; then, pinning his 
life to the chance of a single shot, he pulled the trigger. 
What happened immediately he was unable to say, for 
between pain, shock, and loss of blood, he fainted. When 
he regained consciousness his body was so stiff that he 

267 



ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY ^ 

could scarcely sit up. The bear lay dead, for, passing 
through the throat upwards, the bullet had penetrated 
to the brain. The brute had fallen in such a manner 
that his forehead stanched the flow of blood from the 
man's side, and it only began afresh when he tore the 
hair from it in rising to his feet. 

This was not the only grisly that troubled the peace of 
the camp during Mr. Ruxton's stay there. Within ths: 
next few weeks three or four were shot, and shortly before ^ 
the Englishman left, one was both trapped and shot. 
Iron gins were kept placed in likely spots round about 
the camp ; but, as often as not, the mark that had to be 
placed against them to warn any passing foot-passenger [ 
was sufficient to scare away the intended victim. 

It was the duty of " Old Rube," one of the trappers, to , 
go round and inspect these traps daily, and Ruxton fre- , 
quently accompanied him. To their great astonishment, 
one gin set on the barren ground outside the patch of 
woodland was missing one day ; and a brief inspection 
of the ground showed the old hunter that bear-tracks led 
away from the spot in a curved line. The track was fol- 
lowed cautiously but swiftly, till a cHnk of metal a few 
yards ahead made the two men pull up short. 

Separated from them by a short space of rocky, uneven 
ground was a well-grown grisly, which, at sight of the 
new-comers, started forward angrily, but almost instantly 
stopped again, uttering a piteous whine. The unhappy 
brute was caught by one of his hind-legs in the teeth of 
the iron gin, which, notwithstanding its weight and secure 
fastening, he had jerked free, and had Hmped away with 
it still fast clinging to his hock. 

Rube was about to fire, but Mr. Ruxton stayed his 

268 



'and the AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 

'iind, that they might watch the animal's behaviour, 
'pooping his head, the grisly solemnly licked the iron, as 
iough to conciliate it ; then knocked it resoundingly 
tainst a rock, giving vent to a moan of pain at the 
'psult ; then once more Hcked the iron apologetically. 
fowever great his love of sport may be, it goes to the 
^jeart of any decent man to see an animal hurt when it 
fas no power of retaliation, and the first instinct of both 
^nters was to set poor Bruin free ; but prudence and 
xperience gave other counsel, and a well-aimed bullet 
Vom the old trapper's gun put the bear out of his misery. 

I 

^! By the side of the grisly, the American black bear, or 

nusquaw, seems harmless and cowardly ; but those who 
Fliave lived in the backwoods tell a different tale. Colonel 
"J'r^mont, an American engineer whose name was almost 
is well known in our fathers' or grandfathers' day as 
' ' Buffalo Bill's " is in our own, was well qualified to write 
of these animals, for while he was engaged on the Missouri 
Wrvey he was constantly meeting with them. The pre- 
valence of the musquaw in Fremont's day would astonish 
the modern hunter who has never seen, and perhaps may 
never see, one ; for, being much less dreaded than the 
'grisly, he has been pursued by many who would prudently 
lleave his fiercer relative in peace. He does not breed so 
rapidly as the grisly, and his fur and fat are such valuable 
(articles of commerce that, for the sake of them, he has 
ibeen hunted down without mercy during the past fifty 
' years. 

While on his journey it was more than once Fremont's 
lot to be hard beset to find food for himself and his fol- 
j lowers — in fact, on one occasion famine pressed them so 

269 



ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY 

close that they were obliged to kill and eat a wild doc 
that they themselves had saved from starvation, and hac 
for some months made a pet of ; and Fremont, knowinc 
the excellent qualities of bear's flesh, determined that the 
first musquaw that put in an appearance should go to fill 
the larder. ^ 

It was not long before some of the party discovered a' 
track. The black bear is easier to trace than any of his 
kind, for he has a habit of going continually over the 
same ground, often thus wearing an actual path that 
even an inexperienced eye could follow without much; 
difficulty. Two white men and two redskins were toldl 
off to track the animals, and these in a very little time ' 
came upon a scene that they had scarcely anticipated, 
though such an occurrence is by no means uncommon. 
On a small treeless space were three black bears — one, a^ 
female, standing placidly by, while the two males were' 
grappling tooth and claw one with the other. 

One of the Yankees instantly shot the female, and she' 
fell dead ; while his friend with his gun, and the Indians ' 
with their bows, opened fire on the two combatants.' 
One of these fell almost immediately, but the other,' 
sufficiently wounded to be very furious, dashed towards' 
the shooters. The Indians, swift of foot as deer, seemed to 
care little for this ; for they merely dodged from trunk to ' 
trunk of the trees that encircled the space, shooting an arrow " 
at the enemy whenever chance offered. But the Yankees, ' 
heavily clad, and neither of them particularly active, ^ 
at once swarmed up a tree, trusting to the usually skilled " 
aim of the Indians to bring the bear down if he should '' 
attempt to climb after them. ' 

Between so many assailants the bear hesitated, but at ' 

270 



r 



AND THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 

Lst decided in favour of those in the tree, and accordingly 
jegan to mount slowly and cautiously. This was just 
fhat the redskins wanted, for, instead of a target that 
•odged about and made at them before they could get 
rim, they now had one that at least confined itself to a 
fertain area, and allowed them to shoot at it in peace. 
,j One of the Yankees, seated in an uncomfortable fork 
If the tree, had now found time to reload, and, leaning 
iPrward as far as he dared, fu'ed at the head of the bear as 

came to the level of the lowest bough. The animal 
Iropped dead ; but the hunter had leaned just a little too 
L, and, before he could save himself, fell headlong to 
jhe ground, where he lay apparently stunned by the fall. 
it the same time a warning cry from the Indians made 
lis companion peer down. The unexpected had hap- 
bened. The first of the he-bears had only been wounded, 
Ind now gathered himself together to take a hand in the 
proceedings. This was rather unfortunate, for the second 
ijiunter had let fall his gun in climbing the tree ; and of 
jthe Indians, one had exhausted the contents of his quiver, 
>nd the other had but two arrows left. 

Stepping forward in a determined manner, the musquaw 
;v'ent straight up to where the injured man lay, snifEed 
[at the body, turned it over with his paw, and at last 
.jsquatted down refiectively by the side of it. The treed 
;man was now at his wits' end, for, if he shouted to the 
lj[ndians to go for help, he would at once attract the 
jbear's attention to himself; and the redskins were at 
-ipresent calmly taking counsel behind a tree. As long as 
i the fallen man lay unconscious, or, if conscious, did not 
move, he was probably safe. But what about himself ? 
IjHe was already desperately tired, and faint from hunger ; 

271 



ADVENTURES WITH THE GRISLY 

and if aid did not soon come he must surrender at dis- 
cretion, unless by possible good luck he could, unnoticed 
by the bear, slip down and reach his rifle. 

At last the Indian shot his two remaining arrows : th' 
first went wide ; the second fell a little short, striking the^ 
musquaw on the haunch, but causing him so little incon-' 
venience that he did not so much as growl or look round.! 

Half an hour went by, and still neither bear nor Indians 
nor prostrate man moved. But after a while the brute 
rose up, and began methodically to tear away the earth^^ 
near the body, as though preparing a grave for it. Thei 
watcher in the tree shuddered, and could scarcely refrain' 
from crying out in horror, for he was well aware that the^ 
grisly, and sometimes the musquaw, is in the habit of 
burying his provisions ; and here was his friend about tos 
undergo premature entombment. 

Thus driven to extremities, he no longer hesitated, but ^ 
slid down the tree, snatched up his gun, and, running as J 
swiftly and lightly as was possible to a man who was 
cramped and numbed with such a long imprisonment, 
sought a point of vantage behind a rock where he could 
reload in safety and get a tolerably sure shot at the grave- 
digger. 

Bang, bang, went the two barrels, and this time the 
musquaw fell never to get up again ; while, to the shooter's 
astonishment, up jumped his mate, but little the worse for 
his fall. 

" I see him coming before ever I fell out of the tree ; 
guess I took him in tolerable neat," he observed, coolly 
pointing at the carcass. 

That night there was great rejoicing in the famished 
camp ; and, in the course of the evening, Fremont learned 

272 



I AND THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 

stmetliing about the Indian attitude towards the mus- 

Aaw that was quite new to him. Three braves came up 

jid begged the heads of the slaughtered animals, and, 

rmission being granted, they laid each on a separate 

ianket, and proceeded to decorate aU three with neck- 

jices, feathers, bits of metal, and other treasures. Then 

le two Yankee hunters were requested to step forward 

d puff some of their tobacco-smoke into the dead nostrils. 

^1 While these good fellows thus humoured the children 

c the forest, the two redskins who had had a share in the 

jjsath of the bears addressed a long, formal speech to what 

|as left of them, the substance of which was a general 

[|)ology on behalf of the tribe for any inconvenience to 

: hich the musquaws might have been put, and a fervent 

kope that the surviving bears of the forest would not take 

engeance on the tribe for the death of their kinsfolk. 



273 



CHAPTER XXIII 

AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS AND AMERICAN WILD 
CATTLE 

The llama as a beast of burden. — Mr. George Mathison. — A guanacd' 
hunt. — Method of driving the game. — A wild beast that cannoti 
show fight. — The guanaco's unpleasant equivalent to fighting.— 
" Wild " cattle and horses. — Mr. Thomas Young. — Stopped by a 
herd of wild cattle. — The chase. — Attempted escape by water. — ^ 
A ducking. — Between crocodiles, drowning, and savage bulls. — A: 
faithful horse. — Projected revenge. — Lassoing the wild cattle.— ^ 
Horse-breaking among the Indians. — Behaviour of the horses in" 
the water. — Brutality towards horses in South America. — Darwin^ 
as a traveller. — Gauchos and wild horses. — A novel method olj 
breaking. — Extraordinary feat of horsemanship by Gauohc 
domidors. 

The llama is the Western equivalent to the camel- 
humpless, smaller, and much more slightly and elegantlyi 
built. 

If Kipling's Atkins anathematizes the " commissariat 
camwel " as a beast of burden, what would he say ol 
the llama ? The camel is at least affected by a dosei 
of " stretcher-pole "; but all the castigation in the worlQ 
will not stir his American relative beyond the pace hfe 
chooses for himself — generally a slow one — or make hioi 
move on if once he elects to stop. For the transport ols 
goods over the Cordilleras no beast could be better, if hti 

274 



AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS 

KDuld only move a little faster ; and, till European 
i)lonization began, the South American Indian used no 
pher animal for this purpose. 

i ! The wild llama can, however, move sharply enough ; 
; Old, as he can chmb with the agiUty of a goat, he is not 
iways an easy capture. The special variety known as 
^e guanaco is hunted for the sake of his flesh, hair, and 
idn ; also, at times, with the view of domesticating him ; 
tid a picturesque account of one of these hunts is given 
liV Mr. George Mathison. 

This traveller was proceeding on horseback across the 
liLrgentine, from east to west, and falhng in with some 
lospitable Gauchos, entered heartily into their plans for 

big guanaco-hunt near the mountains. Early in the 
aorning several Gauchos set out as an advance party, 
: nd, leaving their horses on the plain, climbed the heights 
>ith the intention of driving the game down to the valley, 
rhis was slow work, because, in spite of his timidity, the 
;uanaco is a most inquisitive animal, and often will not 
)e put to flight even by the firing of guns close at hand, 
ind so, when Mathison and his conductors reached the 
valley later in the day, though there were any number of 
;uanacos in sight that could easily have been reached 
,vith a bullet, there was not one near enough to be 
lassoed. 

; On looking upwards the Englishman could see that a 
|30uple of herds, each of about thirty llamas, were slowly 
jbeing driven down the slopes. One, having ventured too 
'near the beaters, had been safely lassoed, and was kicking 
and neighing like a horse, while his captor tied him 
securely to a tree-stump ; another was backing nervously 
away from a Gaucho who, by various arts, was seeking to 

275 s 2 



AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS 

interest him while he got within lassoing distance. Tl 
mounted hunters at once sought what concealment thej 
could, squeezing themselves and their horses behind rocks 
or into tiny ravines, so that they might form no obstacle 
to the guanacos' descent. 

From his hiding-place Mathison could hear the occa-j 
sional horse-like cries and the peculiar pit-pat footfalls j 
drawing nearer ; then half a dozen of the animals came 3 
along the valley at a questioning little trot ; then a f ew ^ 
more; and at last the bulk of the two herds. The^ 
hitherto concealed and silent Gauchos now spurred intoi! 
the open, and in a minute all the llamas were surrounded, i 

Mathison had seen a good many wild animals caught i 
or killed, but never any that offered so little resistance; 
as these. The one half seemed fascinated by fear, the 
other roused by languid curiosity at sight of the horses. 
The first were lassoed in no time, towed out of the ring, ! 
and handed over to the attendant beaters, who madei 
them fast to stumps and tree-trunks. But the inquisi- 
tiveness of the second group was not so great as to robi 
them of their customary wariness. Some even managed 
slyly to edge between the Gauchos and clamber up the 
mountain-side again, in which case a bullet cut short i 
their projected flight. The rest, seeing themselves driven 
to bay, did what they could in self-defence, which was-) 
deplorably little. i 

Perhaps the most curious fact about the guanaco, and 
probably one without parallel among the rest of then 
animal kingdom, is that in a wild state he is harmless, 3 
and yet, when tamed, he often becomes somewhat dan-t 
gerous. The domesticated llama has a trick, when out I 
of temper, of working round to the back of a man andi 

276 



j AND AMERICAN WILD CATTLE 

[Itriking him so violently with his knees as to cause, in 
aaany cases, serious pain and injury. 

I But these animals had. not yet learned this trick ; 
pstead, some of them began to put into practice another, 
jrhich was perfectly harmless in the strict sense, but 
Exceedingly revolting all the same. Whenever a Gaucho 
|pproached one of them closely the animal immediately 
ylpat at him a mixture of saliva and undigested food, 
ildathison had been told by Indians that the llama ejects 
iiiDoisonous matter which burns and blisters whatever it 
lUuches. But the hardy Gauchos laughed as carelessly 
\ibt the idea as at the obnoxious act itself, and in a short 
j:ime had made prisoners of even the most virulent of the 

iipxpectorators. 

j 

; When the English traveller in America first catches 
ibight of a wild horse or bull, he cannot help regarding the 
animal as, in some sort, a fraud, because he is so very 
touch like his European domestic relative. And thereby 
hangs an explanation. These horses and cattle are not 
*' wild " in the sense that the bison, the yak, or the zebra 
are ; they are the descendants of animals as peaceable as 
those which graze on our own commons and meadows. 

Savage man generally tries to adapt himself to Nature 
as he finds her, but civilized man endeavours, more often 
than not, to twist her round to his own purpose ; and so, 
when the Spanish invaders of South America found the 
natives contentedly using the llama as a beast of burden, 
never having heard of horses or cattle, they impatiently 
sent to Europe for consignments of the animals to which 
they had been accustomed. These bred freely and wan- 
dered widely, and, gradually forgetting that they had 

277 



AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS 

ever served man, at last threw off his yoke altogethe 
whenever they could. Therefore, if we want the trn^ 
American wild bull, we must go to the bison, which wil 
be treated in a later chapter ; and if we want the tru 
American wild horse, we must ask the geologist to show 
us the petrified remains of an animal more than half as 
big again as our own dray-horse, or of another little 
creature no bigger than a Shetland pony. 

Necessarily, then, much of the time of the American 
stock-breeder is given up to the reclaiming of these so- 
called wild cattle or horses, and to forcing the unhappy 
creatures back to their original servitude ; and the process' 
sometimes develops itself into a veritable wild-beast hunt.' 

While acting as superintendent of the British Central^ 
American Land Company, Mr. Thomas Young saw a good 
deal of " cow-catching " done in Honduras, by means of 
lassos that were made of the tough bark of the ma^o-tree."^ 
These Honduras cattle seem to have been particularly 
savage, for several times Mr. Young was attacked by'' 
them without having given them the least provocation. 

Once he had stopped to water his horse at a tributary 
stream, when a sudden tremendous lowing warned him 
that some wild cattle were nearer to him than he could 
have wished ; and, on looking round, he saw a herd of j 
from one to two hundred drawn up midway between him-' 
self and a patch of thick forest-land. They showed by' 
every possible sign that they were excited and angry ; 
probably they had just emerged from the forest for their^ 
evening drink, and were enraged at finding the shallow' 
already occupied. 

Young was well mounted, and had a loaded rifle in a 
sling ; and as there seemed still plenty of time for him to' 

278 



AND AMERICAN WILD CATTLE 

ide along the bank and be out of the way before the cattle 
Md reach him, he troubled himself very little. He 
•falked his horse on to the bank, turned his head up- 
iream, and gave him the spur. But the instant the 
timal plunged forward, the wild cattle made a sharp 
'right turn," and, headed by five old bulls, began to 
allop furiously along a line that at first seemed parallel 
the one which he was following, but which soon proved 
o be one that eventually would strike the river at a very 
jjliarp angle. 

jl As the prospect seemed so unpleasant, Young rapidly 
jturned his horse and set off the opposite way, for he had 
.!!uddenly remembered that, lower down, there was a ford- 
:xble part of the river where his horse could cross with 
^sase, and where the cattle probably would not follow him. 
But if the cattle could not reverse their direction as 
quickly as he, they could at least come up with him by 
other means. At the end of the long file was a rear- 
guard of half a dozen bulls, and these, detaching them- 
selves from the herd, turned and ran straight across at 
him, tails up and horns down, ready for any amount of 

mischief. 

" We must swim across instead of walking, that's all," 
Young muttered to his horse, and put him straight at the 
water. But even as the animal leapt, the horns of the 
first bull were at his very fetlocks ; and Young, who was 
freeing his feet from the stirrups, drawing his knees as 
high up as possible, and at the same time turning to look 
at his pursuer, suddenly lost his balance and slid off the 
back of the terrified horse. 

To swim across a river less than fifty yards wide, when 
not encumbered by clothes, is to the average man a 

279 



AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS 

pleasure rather than a feat, if the weather is agreeable ; i 
but no man ever found thick riding-breeches, top-boots^ 
with spurs, a heavy flannel shirt, and a jacket whose 
pockets did duty for a travelling-bag, very great aids to^ 
swimming. And Young had three additional things to! 
think about : could and would the bulls follow him ?!^ 
could he catch his horse ? were there any alligators or| 
river-serpents about ? ^ 

The last consideration made him half -determined to go 
back and face the herd ; indeed, he cast a look over his; 
shoulder at them ; but one bull was standing with his* 
fore-feet in the water and bellowing with rage, while three ^ 
more were immediately behind him, so that there was no'| 
great encouragement to return. Looking in front again, ! 
he saw that his horse was swimming in almost a straight '^ 
line for the opposite bank, and a good ten yards ahead n 
of him. Young took a few strokes, but the result was"! 
miserably poor ; the gun had worked round in his fall, 
and was constantly getting in the way of his hands, while ' 
his feet seemed as though they were weighted with lead. 
Maldng what little progress he could, he bethought him ' 
of doing what he might have done before— calling to the ^ 
horse. At the sound of his voice the faithful beast turned 1 
his head, and though, on realizing that the bulls were still ' 
there, he refused to come back, he waited for his master, ' 
patiently treading the water ; and Young, weary and 
breathless, at last reached the saddle, and after a good 
deal of difficulty dragged himself astride again, and was 
soon safely landed on the further bank. 

It was with a pecuUar relish that Mr. Young learned, a i 
few days later, that a large body of Indians were about ' 
to set out in chase of this or a similar herd, for he felt 

280 I 



AND AMERICAN WILD CATTLE 

I'lthat he owed the animals a grudge ; and, with half a dozen 
hother Englishmen, he eagerly accompanied the tribe. 
si As regards quantity, the hunt was disappointing, for 
[only six cows were taken after all ; still, it offered con- 
(siderable sport, as well as affording yet another instance 
I of the ingenuity and perseverance which man brings to 
: bear in his efforts to slay or subdue the wild beasts in his 
' vicinity. 

j The nearest approach to a herd which the hunters 
could come upon consisted of two bulls and a dozen 
cows. The bulls, contrary to custom, soon deserted 
their charges and fled from the open grass-land, where 
they had been feeding, into the forest, followed by six 
of the cows. Half the Indians went in pursuit, but the 
hunted animals managed to outwit them, and succeeded 
in escaping to a thicket where the horses could only follow 
with much risk and difficulty. 

Meanwhile the other section of the riders ran down and 
surrounded the remaining cows. The coolness of the 
Indians was extraordinary. On three different occasions 
Young would confidently have prophesied that one of 
their number would be unhorsed and gored by a frantic 
cow that was charging straight at him ; but each time 
the loop of the lasso was dexterously dropped over her 
horns, and horse and rider were out of her way in an 
instant, while, pulled up by the unexpected jerk, she fell 
heavily to the ground. Snorting and kicking, the animal 
would struggle to her feet again, and make a second 
desperate onslaught, with the same result as before ; the 
Indian's horse sprang away as Kghtly as a mountain- 
goat, and the headlong charge was spent on nothing. 
At last, exhausted and brow-beaten, the cows aban- 

2H 



31 



AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS 

doned their more violent struggles ; then the lassos wer^ 
hauled in a few yards, and immediately those horseme: 
who were not otherwise engaged closed in on the captives, 
and their horses, well used to such an occupation, pushed 
and hustled them forward till they followed their new 
masters with due meekness. 

Mr. Young has also much to tell us concerning the 
taking and breaking of the Central American horse. 
Wild horses traverse the American plains from Patagonia 
as far north as Southern Canada, though they are probably 
most plentiful in Texas, Mexico, and Central America, 
Mr. Young's account of the Indian method of taming 
these useful animals after they have been lassoed is full of 
interest. 

He followed some natives who were forcing a small batch 
of captives towards a large shallow pool near the British 
settlement at Black River. When they had reached the 
water-edge, the Indians tied up the horses to trees, with 
the exception of those on which they were ready to 
operate, and, to each of these, two men were told off as 
breakers. When he had fastened a very long halter to 
his horse, one of the Indians removed the lasso, and with a 
few blows and shouts forced the frightened creature into 
about three and a half feet of water. Then, while the 
wondering animal stood plunging and trembling, the 
second Indian took a run from the bank, just like a boy 
playing leap-frog, vaulted over the horse's buttocks, and 
fell astride of him. 

This was where the excitement began. It is impossible 
to conceive fully what a horse feels Uke when he is mounted 
for the first time, but any reader who has seen a colt 

282 



AND AMERICAN WILD CATTLE 

-broken in to saddle can form some idea. No two of these 

iparticular creatures seemed to act quite in the same 
manner : one went down on his knees, a second jibbed 

land tried to bite his rider's foot, a third bucked, a fourth 
reared, and a fifth nearly succeeded in fastening his teeth 

!in the thigh of the next horse's rider. But the Indians 
were calm and phlegmatic as ever ; even one who was 

'pitched over his horse's head into the water was up again, 
and had vaulted sideways on to the animal's back once 
more, within a minute. 

The struggles were painfully futile ; the Indians only 
waited to take breath and establish themselves firmly ; 
then each man seized his horse's mane with the left hand, 
and with the right so mercilessly boxed and buffeted both 
sides of the poor brute's head that Young, who had long 
tried to preach kindness towards horses among the 
Indians, felt strongly inchned to lay his riding-whip 
over the shoulders of the nearest man. The buffeting 
went on till each horse stood stock stiU, and was hauled 
back to the bank, where he sank down spiritless and 

trembhng. 

It is greatly to be feared that this cruelty of the Indians 
is less natural to them than acquired from the Spaniards 
and Portuguese ; and it is a big feather in our national 
cap that celebrated travellers, of various nations, have 
put it on record that Enghshmen are the only people who 
know how to treat a horse ; for the less said of the Arab's 
love for Ins steed, the better. Darwin, wliile in South 
America, was riding a jaded horse borrowed of a Spanish 
farmer ; one that had but recently been broken in from 
his wild state. " Spur him," cried the owner. " No ; 
he's done up," was the reply. " Never mind, he's my 

283 



II 



AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS 

horse," said this humane being, who could not understand 
that the EngHshman's consideration was for the animal, 
and not for the owner. 

Charles Darwin's reputation as a scientist so ecUpses 
other sides of his life that we are apt to forget that he was 
a much travelled man. His wanderings often enabled 
him to make valuable observations where wild beasts 
were concerned, and more than once they brought him 
into close touch with the wild horse. While he was 
staying in Cliile a large herd of them was lassoed, and 
driven into a huge circular compound. When the time 
for brealdng-in came, a few Gaucho domidors, or tamers, 
appeared, each armed with a lasso. 

If Darwin was surprised when he first saw a cow or 
horse captured by this simple instrument, he was still 
more so when, with the utmost coolness, each domidor 
singled out a hkely looking animal from among the 
frightened heard— which at the men's approach had 

begun to wildly run round and round the compound 

and threw the loop with seeming carelessness, not at the 
head, but the fore-feet of the animal of his choice. In 
each case both feet were caught in the noose, which was 
at once pulled tight, and the horse fell sideways to the 
ground. In an instant the domidor had run round the 
beast in such a manner as to catch one of the hind-legs 
with the taut thong of the lasso, and now he dragged this 
towards the other two hmbs, and hitched it so that all 
three were bound together. 

His next proceeding was to unfasten a bridle which he 
had hung over his shoulders, and to fit this to the horse's 
mouth, not by means of a bit, but by fastening the ends 
of it to a slender thong, which he now wound round and 

284 



! AND AMERICAN WILD CATTLE 

;round the beast's lower jaw, thus binding tongue and jaw 
together. Then he tied the fore-legs together with a 
Ijecond thong in such a manner that the knot could be 
?|infastened with a single jerk of the longer end ; and this 
ebeing done to his satisfaction, he removed the lasso that 
ibound the three legs together. 

- Naturally the horse sprang up immediately, but finding 
feimself so tightly hobbled, lost his balance and fell over 
?0,gain. With some urging he was soon persuaded to rise 
i^once more, and a second Gaucho proceeded to saddle and 
igirth him while the domidor held his head. By this time 
lithe unfortunate beast was half paralyzed by fear, and 
stood shuddering, sweating and foaming for a moment, 
then rolled over again on his side. 

! Full of wonderment as to how the domidor proposed 
even to mount, let alone ride, a colt that could only lie 
Itrembhng and refusing to rise, Darwin came nearer, 
expecting every minute to see the hind-hoofs shoot out 
at one of the Gauchos who was similarly engaged with 
another horse close at hand. 

Then he noticed that in one hand the domidor held the 
bridle, and in the other the long end of the thong that 
bound the fore-feet. Now, standing straddle-legged over 
the prostrate body, the Gaucho stooped till his thighs 
almost touched the near flap of the saddle, gave a sudden 
jerk with the thong, and instantly the shp-knot came 
undone, and the horse's legs were free. 

The beautiful creature rose Hke a bird, and Darwin 
expected to see the domidor fly hke a stone from a cata- 
pult ; but in an instant his knees were in the horse's sides, 
the stirrups seemed of themselves to sHde over his toes, 
and horse and rider were bounding out of the compound 

285 



AMONG LLAMAS AND MUSTANGS 

and across the pampas at a mad gallop. The horse 
had been the loser in the conflict ; in less than half 
an hour he came back, panting and dejected; and, 
after one or two similar trials, was completely subdued, 
and resigned to the servitude which henceforth must be 
his lot. 



286 



CHAPTER XXIV 

THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD 

About American monkeys. -Lieutenant Herndon, U.S.K-HowUng 
monkeys.-Up the Amazon.-A disturbed supper.-The howbng 
increased.-A rash resolution.-Firing on the l^^^lf «--^^l"^"^g 
the rising sun.-Stewed monkey.-Lieutenant Gibbon, U.b.JN.- 
The sapajous and the sakis. -Sleeping in treed hammocks.-The 
robbery of the honey.-The robbers robbed.-The festive 
parrot.-Fight between parrot and monkey.-Another spider- 
monkey to the rescue.— The cause of the squabble. 

Between the monkeys of the Eastern and those of the 
Western Hemisphere we must draw as sharp a distinc- 
tion as that which exists between the bufialo and the 
bison, or the tiger and the jaguar. For there are differ- 
ences in structure, marking, size, and character, that at 
times would almost persuade us that the Old World and 
the New World quadrumana are two separate genera 

altogether. 

Neglecting lemurs, the American monkeys are of two 
sorts : those whose tails are prehensile, and act, to all 
intents and purposes, as a fifth Umb ; and those to whom 
the tail is only an ornament, or at best a warm coverlet 
which they can wrap round themselves while they sleep. 
The anthropoid ape and the baboon are unknown ; all 

287 



THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD 

the monkeys are of comparatively small stature and light 
build. 

Probably the best known of the South American 
monkeys is the howler. The name is not pretty or com- i 
plimentary, but he has brought it on himself by the 
abominable noise which he creates — a noise which, i 
Humboldt tells us, can be heard more than a mile away. 
Lieutenant Herndon, U.S.N., of the Herndon-Gibbon i 
Amazon exploring expedition, Ukens the sound made by 
a company of these animals to that of a procession of j 
wagons with ungreased axles ; and the frequency with - 
which he was forced into a close acquaintance with the , 
howlers certainly quahfied him to speak authoritatively on 
the subject. 

After he and Lieutenant Gibbon had temporarily '^ 
separated, he set off up the river in a canoe rowed by ^ 
Indians whose dialect he happened to speak and under- [ 
stand tolerably well. He could scarcely have chosen a 
much better means of becoming acquainted with the 
South American quadrumana, for, as the canoe shot < 
along beneath the overhanging boughs, marmosets and ' 
ring-tails, coatis and spider-monkeys, peered down at ' 
the occupants, or, with excited chatter, sprang forward 
from tree to tree, keeping pace with the travellers, and '< 
evincing as much interest as so many boys following a 
boat-race along a tow-path. 

Late in the afternoon of the first day, Herndon told Jj 
his men to pull in, deciding that the night would be more ^1 
comfortable if passed lying on the bank than if spent 'i 
huddled in the canoe. He had a reasonable quantity 
of dried provisions with him, but these he wished to •• 
harbour against a rainy day ; and, as small game seemed f 

288 * I 



'HE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD 

fjentiful, he told the Indians to light a fire while he 
bocured supper. 

j While he was giving these directions a small herd of 
-ber ran hghtly down a forest road which lay parallel to 
:iie bank, and some of the Indians had brought down a 
,|)uple of them with their arrows long before he could 
et his gun to liis shoulder. The deer had been fetched, 
tinned and quartered, and were over the fire, when, just 
1^ the sun sank, there arose, from the trees above, the 
iost appalUng noise imaginable— the yelling or roaring 
jjf a company of about forty howlers. 

" Araguato /" whispered the Indians, and every man 
Ijf them fitted an arrow to his bow. This was Herndon's 
irst experience of the creatures, though he had heard 
(luch about them from the natives. While these were 
wearing upwards through the dusky boughs, trying to 
Jungle out marks for their arrows, the lieutenant picked 
jtp his gun, which was loaded with small shot, and fired 
:»bHquely into the tree. The effect of the shot was 
^^mazing. In the first place, the Indians shrieked, or fell 
jlown, or fled, in their astonishment, for not one had ever 
: een a gun fired before ; secondly, not a single monkey 
propped, although the American was not a man to miss 
\m aim, and had had at least one of the red-brown bodies 
jvell covered by his gun. Further, instead of quieting 
l}he uproar, the report seemed to have had the effect of 
jnultiplying it by a thousand. True, the noise imme- 
jiiately overhead ceased, for, as Herndon could see by the 
jireHght, the monkeys were betaking themselves, by means 
)f acrobatic swings, in which tails, legs, and teeth all 
seemed to bear a share, to the next tree ; but from the 
jtop of this, where already a couple of dozen of the noisy 

289 T 



THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD. 

creatures were collected, and apparently from every othe^j 
tree in the forest, the grating, drumming pandemoniumlj 
was beginning again in full force. Herndon had been} 
told that a man may soon get used to this tumult ; but | 
for a few minutes he felt as though it would drive him! 
out of his mind, and he savagely longed to slay every; 
araguato in the whole forest. The hollow resonance of I 
this howling, it should be explained, is due to the pecuhar^. 
formation of a bone at the back of the mouth, which 
spreads itself into a sort of sounding-board or drum-^ 
head. jj 

For a long while the Indians were too excited by the, 
gun-shot to be able to enter into explanations or to reply, 
to questions ; but at length Herndon gathered that, by 
his hasty shot, he had deprived his followers of their most,, 
coveted meal — stewed monkey — and that if he had« 
ignored the noise it would probably have died down soon., 
As it was, the animals having been disturbed, it might 
last all night. 

Heedless of this last implied reproof, Herndon ate his., 
supper, vowing that if the monkeys did not soon stop he 
would " give them something to howl for." , 

The Indians ate their meal almost in silence, for some( 
were sulky at the loss of their monkey-diet, and others, 
were still awed by the gun, from the neighbourhood of^ 
which every one edged away nervously. Complete dark-, 
ness came on, but the howUng did not abate. Herndon ^ 
had gradually been working himself up to that pitch of 
fury which a very tired man reaches when his slumbers, 
are broken by the midnight cat, until he is ready in his. 
exasperation to throw his watch or his best hat out of 
the window ; so the lieutenant rashly swore that he would j 

290 j 



HE MONKEYS OF THE NEAV AVORLD 

' op the clamour if he had to spend a pound of gun- 
pwder on the serenaders. 

■j Accordingly he began his fusillade, the Indians standing 
y, wondering and trembhng ; but by the time he had 
'pnt a dozen charges into the dark trees, and doubled the 
fowling thereby, the explorer had begun to laugh at him- 
■j^lf for his silly exhibition of temper ; and once more 
Growing himself down by the fire, he fell into a series of 
i|tful dozes, in the intervals of which he could still hear 
iis tormentors. 

I By a little before sunrise the Indians were stirring ; the 
fjfoise had died away, and Herndon sank into the first real 
'leep he had known all night ; but, all too soon, this was 
'roken in upon by a repetition of the howling chorus : 
nother company of monkeys had appeared in the tree 
*|verhead, and were paying their respects to the rising 
'tin. 

\. " This is the best time to kill them," said one of 
he Indians, as his master sat down to breakfast dis- 
gustedly. 

" Go on ; kill away ; the more the merrier," snapped 
lerndon. 

Each man took up a favourable position, with bow 
ieady drawn ; their chief gave a signalHng chck with his 
ongue, and nine arrows sped simultaneously into the 
jranches. The cries above became more shrill, and as he 
ooked upwards, the explorer could see that, of a family of 
ibout twenty, haK a dozen were falling from the effect of 
-he arrows, and the rest were making a hurried escape by 
-winging from tree to tree. The lieutenant rose, anxious 
o count the dead and examine one of them ; but only 
)ne animal dropped. It was a good-sized beast, three 

291 T 2 



THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORL] 

feet long, with an immense tail, large hands and feet, ai 
a formidable beard. 

" Ten men to shoot one monkey," said Herndoi| 
jeering good-humouredly. " By the way, I must have 
spread a few over the ground last night." 

The chief smiled in a superior manner, and pointed inta; 
the tree ; and there the Heutenant saw five more of the! 
monkeys, dead, and hanging by their tails. 

" How are you going to get them ?" he asked. 

The tree was slender, and easy of ascent, and one oi 
the Indians answered the question by swarming up it,^ 
the rest standing by with drawn bows ready to intercept] 
any jaguar or boa-constrictor that might be waiting toj 
attack the climber. -; 

" Sometimes we out the tree right down," explained the^ 
chief of the Indians. The araguato, when falling, morel 
often than not instinctively hooks his tail round a branch," 
just as we should clutch with our hands. Later, as they' 
passed down to the water again, Herndon saw two or three 
of them thus hanging from other trees, and rightly assumed 
that they were some of those on which he had vented his 
ill-humour the night before. 

The much-vaunted monkey-flesh, whether roasted or 
stewed, turned out to be very tasteless and unappetizing 
to the white man's palate ; the muscles were singularly 
dry, there was but little fat on the bodies, and also the" 
white man had an uncomfortable feeling that, in tasting 
the meat, he was guilty of a sort of cannibahsm. He^ 
passed many thousands of howlers before his journey was 
ended, but he never again sought to enjoin silence upon 
them ; and, natm'ally enough, he soon grew accustomed 
to their noise. ' 

292 



Jhe monkeys of the new avorld 

While Herndon was thus seeing hfe among the ara- 
jiatos, his colleague in the expedition, Lieutenant 
jibbon, was exploring a tributary of the Amazon, under 
-[le guidance of some Yuracares Indians ; and in course 
i I time he made acquaintance, not only with the howlers, 
[lit with the spider-monkey, various sapajous, sakis, 
j,pmurs, and the like. 

j Mr. Gibbon soon found ample scope for watching the 
bruggle for existence among Nature's wild children here, 
jicarcely a day passed without his witnessing an attack on 
I monkey family by a jaguar, or a fight between a monkey 
i|nd a parrot, or else a skilfully planned raid by an army of 
lirger monkeys on a village of smaller ones. 

The latter form of diversion was a great favourite 
>mong the sapajous— curious-looking bearded creatures, 
jfv'ith tufts of hair, exactly like elementary horns, close to 
Iheir eyes. Like their brethren, they are fond of wild 
!ioney, and Gibbon often saw them smacking their hps 
;t>ver this dehcacy, but never could understand how they 
oecame possessed of it. 

■ While he and his Indians were in the forest they gener- 
ally slept in hammocks hung by very long fibre ropes 
Erom the trees, and thus the lieutenant often had a 
jsplendid view of what was going on above him in the early 
'hours of the day. One morning, soon after sunrise, a 
little procession of sakis— small bearded monkeys with 
intensely human faces— made a sudden descent on the 
fork of a tree next the one to which Gibbon's hammock was 
slung, and the next moment a small swarm of angry bees 
were buzzing round the heads of the visitors . With quaint 
httle chuckles of dehght, and regardless of the storm they 
had created, the monkeys pushed their hands into a hollow 

293 



THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD 

in the tree-fork where the bees' nest was, and began glee- 
fully to draw forth lumps of the sticky prize. Beyond 
placing one arm over their faces to guard their eyes, the 
little robbers took no precautions against attack from the 
bees ; and, having got what they came for, the small com- 
pany skipped blithely on to Gibbon's tree, and at sight 
of him leapt hurriedly to the upper branches, where they 
might eat their breakfast in safety. 

This was the first time the young American had seen 
this variety of monkey eating honey, and he was rapidly 
working out a small calculation of probabilities in his head, 
when a rustling in the topmost branches announced the 
presence of fresh arrivals ; and in another moment a dozen 
sapajous, beasts much larger and stronger than the sakis, 
swooped down on the devourers of honey, and, snatching 
from them their ill-gotten gain, put them to flight, and 
coolly sat down to finish their breakfast for them. After 
that, Gibbon had no need to wonder how the sapajou gets 
his honey. 

While occupying these airy and somewhat unsafe 
lodgings, theheutenant occasionally noticed a beautiful and 
very large green parrot, which is generally known as the 
"festive " parrot {Psittacus festivus) ; and one morning he 
was awakened by the harsh, raucous cry of one of these 
birds. High up in the tree, the parrot was seeking to 
combat the attentions of a spider-monkey that, balancing 
himself with his tail and one hand, had still three hands 
left to do mischief with. For the " spider " is particu- 
larly clever in the use of his tail, and the explorer often 
saw him travelling solely by means of it and one hand, 
while he ate with another, and picked fruit or caught 
birds or flies with a third. 

294 




Robbery with Violence 

The spider monkey of the Amazons delight?, partly irom mischief and vanity, and 
partly from a desire to suck the oil from the quills, to tear out the tail or wing feathers 
of the parrot. 



rHE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD 

I 

i Gibbon had many times seen these animals catch and 
^t small birds, but the festive parrot was almost as big 
ts the monkey, and looked far more hkely to take a meal 
han to provide one. The monkey shot out one arm, 
pnd immediately drew it back writhing, as Polly gave it 
I sharp blow with her beak. But in a moment he brought 
^ second hand into play, and the bird, instead of flying 
jkway, flapped with her wings, and only hopped to a 
shghtly higher bough, where she perched screaming 
defiance at the monkey. 

But with a pertinacity "worthy of a better cause," 
(the spider swung himself almost to the parrot's level, and, 
this time more cautiously, made a snatch at the bird, 
drawing back the hand swiftly as the enraged creature 
again struck at it with her beak. Thus hopping back- 
wards and forwards from bough to bough, the com- 
batants continued their struggle, neither "scoring" 
appreciably. At last, however, an unexpected reinforce- 
ment came, in the form of a second spider, that, with a 
giggle of dehght, prepared to take a hand in the fray. 
He was soon at the back of the parrot, and she thus found 
herself between two fires, yet was too obstinate or too 
dense to employ the means of safety that Nature had 
provided her with. 

But very soon the double attack began to prove too 
much for her, and at last, giving up the game, she rose 
from her perch. The second monkey, however, rose with 
her ; springing upwards, he shot out one hand just as the 
parrot was rising on the wing ; there was an ear-splitting 
screech, and then the bird flew away, leaving the greater 
part of her tail-feathers in the spider's hand. Immedi- 
ately a contest arose between the two monkeys for 

295 



THE MONKEYS OF THE NEW WORLD 



I 



possession of the prize, but the holder of it was too strong 
for the other, and, with a vicious bite, sent him about hie 
business. 

The mystery was now explained. The first monkey 
idea in persecuting the bird was not murder, but robbe: 
with violence, aggravated by mutilation. Partly from 
mischief, partly from vanity, but mainly from a desire to 
suck the oily substance from the soft portion of the quills, 
he had been strugghng all this time for possession of the 
bird's tail or wing feathers ; and now the second and 
victorious beast sat down contentedly to chew and suck 
his spoils, and subsequently to tear them in pieces, and 
sit grinning as the wind blew away the downy particles. 



296 



CHAPTER XXV 

ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS OF THE 
! PRAIRIES AND BACKWOODS 

k home of adventure.-John Premont.-The bison, and its disappear- 
j ance.— How to rid a country of its wild animals.— Stopped by a 
' herd of bisons.— An awful chase in the forest.— Trying to check the 
pursuit.— Where is the path ?— The path aheady occupied.— 
Between two forces of bisons.— Indians to the rescue.- The cause 
of the trouble.— An unsportsmanhke method.— Trading for bison- 
meat.— A useful beast.— The beaver.— Trapping him.— A mystery. 
— " Where's the bait ?"— " Bark-stone."- A beaver that punishes 
trappers.— Castorewm.— The cawquaw, or American porcupine.— 
A bad time for the dog.— A remarkable beast.— The opossum.— 
Mr. P. H. Gosse.— A beast that " shams dead."— The 'possum- 
, hunt. — The victorious negro. 
I 

When we remember the tremendous expanse of desert 
and forest land that the railway contractors, builders, 
and agriculturists have still left untouched in North 
America, we are not surprised at the prevalence of wild 
beasts in that part of the Western world. In spite of 
the energies of the fur-trader, the bear and fox and wolf 
still lurk in the backwoods or roam over the prairies, 
with the 'possum, 'coon, puma, and a host of other inter- 
esting or savage creatures. What wonder, then, that 
the Uf e of trappers and travellers among such surroundings 
is often one long tale of adventure, excitement, and peril ? 

297 



ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS 

John Fremont, whose followers' adventures among 
the bears have been already related, was many times con- 
strained to kill the bison, not only in self-defence, but for 
food, and some of his experiences with this formidable 
prairie-bull are worth reteUing. It is but sixty years 
since Fremont made his celebrated exploring journey, and ^{ 
at that time he saw literally millions of bisons in the '■ 
course of a year or so ; even as recently as the American 
Civil War thousands of herds might be found on the 
prairies ; but the twentieth-century Yankee only knows ' 
the animal from seeing him in a show. To beat up a herd ' 
of even a hundred bisons nowadays would probably take ' 
two or three years. Trade, as usual, was at the bottom 
of this appalling destruction. After the war, " buffalo- 
robes " suddenly became valuable articles of commerce, ' 
and the poor bison had to furnish them. ^ 

But we may gather from Fremont's reminiscences ^ 
that a portion of this ruthless slaughter should lie on the * 
consciences of the early settlers, of the Indian tribes, " 
and even of travellers like himself. " Lightly come, J 
lightly go," invariably apphes to the provision-stock of 
uncivilized men, and sometimes of the civilized ; and 
one feels angry to think of the unsportsmanlike kilUng, 
and senseless waste of good food, so continually witnessed 
among those who have carte blanche with the wild creatures, 
fish, flesh, or fowl, of their district. Scores of times ' 
Fremont saw Indians kill ten times as many bisons as 
they could possibly use ; often an animal was shot down 
just for the sake of the meat on his raised withers or ' 
" hump," the rest of the carcass being left to feed the ' 
wolves. His own men were sometimes no better ; for, 
though they often felt the pinch of hunger, they would i 

298 



^ 



F THE PRAIRIES AND BACKWOODS 

,.lay fast and loose with the bison when opportunity 

■fcourred. 

I The animal is inoffensive enough if left alone, but seeing 
jijhat he can sometimes put even the grisly to flight, he 
,s not a safe beast to provoke. Fremont and one of hi? 
iien were once riding in pursuit of a buck, when a sharp 
,i.urn of the forest path brought them into a large natural 
jblearing. Across this the buck fled at full speed, and 
.Fremont, stiU at a gallop, fired, but missed his aim. 
His companion raised his gun, but the deer had reached 
;Dhe bushes on the far side of the clearing before the 
,hammer fell, and the bullet struck the forehead of one 
of a herd of a couple of hundred bisons that had plunged 
from among the trees at the sound of the first shot. 
Before either man could think of reloading, the bisons 
charged at them with furious bellowings. To get back 
rto the trees was easy enough ; not so easy to reach the 
path by which they had come ; and to attempt on horse- 
back to penetrate any other part of the wood was to 
court a broken head or neck, as well as to offer a target 
to the bulls, which, of course, could thread their way 
among the trunks far more readily than ridden horses. 
The easiest mode of escape was to spur for the trees, 
swing themselves into the first that came handy, turn 
the horses loose, and wait till the baffled herd retired. 
But the expedition was already very short of horses, and 
these would assuredly either flee or be killed; and the 
two men had travelled many miles from the main body, 
and were not disposed to cover the return journey on 
foot. 

Fremont turned back and rode straight at the nearest 
point of woodland ; but his companion, who was better 

299 



ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS 

mounted and more favom-ably situated, urged his horse 
back to the path, and, reaching it before the foremost 
bisons could cut him off, was quite safe from fear of being 
overtaken. Meanwhile the leader of the expedition, 
chased by a large proportion of the herd, had reached 
the trees, and was making frantic efforts to drive his 
frightened horse along a rough cross-Une that should at 
length run into the main path. After the first twenty 
yards, tho beast seemed to regain confidence, and to the 
rider's delight, he found that the bushes and tree-growths 
were not so thick as he had anticipated. But if the way 
was thus made unexpectedly easy to Fremont, the bulls 
could profit by it just as readily as he ; and he saw, on 
looking back, that more than a score of his pursuers were 
within six yards of him, and of these, one was but a length 
away. 

In his holster he carried a large horse-pistol which 
happened to be loaded with ball, and with this he fired 
at the nearest bison. The animal fell with a tremendous 
roar, and the next comer, unable to stop himself, tumbled 
headlong over the body of his fallen comrade. The start 
thus gained was not difficult to keep, for every moment the 
trees grew more sparse ; and, no matter how much the 
path that he was making for wound away, the fugitive 
was sure to reach it before very long. 

The hoofs still crunched and thundered behind him, 
showing that the angry beasts were not to be balked of 
their revenge, but Fremont cared Httle for them now ; 
let him once get to the path, and they might catch him 
if they could. Just then a gun went off, about a hundred 
yards on his right front ; presumably his companion had 
seen his predicament from the distance, and, safe himself, 

300 




Chased by Bison 

Fr(5mont made for the path which wound amongst the trees, while the herd thundered 
at his heels. With a horse pistol he shot the leader, which fell with a loud bellow, 
■while the one behind fell headlong over him. 



OF THE PRAIRIES AND BACKWOODS 

Vas rendering him what help he could. But no bullet 
Ihistled anywhere near, and no bison fell. Fi'6mont 
[lanced back once more ; he had gained a good ten yards. 
kow one big effort, and he was saved. 
' Again came a gun-shot, from the same quarter as before, 
ind at last Fremont became aware of the cause of the 
Jring. He had come in sight of the path ; but this path, 
lis he knew, was an old bison-track, worn by the feet of 
'pountless thousands of the animals in their migrations 
horth or south ; and now, to his utter amazement and 
iLiorror, he perceived that it was once more in the posses- 
sion of its lawful owners. The bulk of the herd had, then, 
pursued his friend, had given up the chase, and now were 
proceeding at a sullen walk in the direction which their 
quarry had taken ; butting their neighbours snappishly, 
or suspiciously turning their heads to either side, as 
[though on the look-out for a concealed enemy. 
' But Fremont did not lose his head. Swiftly he made 
'ihis horse wheel ever so Uttle to the right, and started on 
j,a course that must soon lead him to where his friend had 
''been taking pot-shots at the distant animals. This 
would have been all very well had his horse been able to 
move in dead silence ; but the hoofs betrayed him, and 
all too soon the rider found himself between two powerful 
forces, which were rapidly converging towards a particular 
point — himself. 

His horse was now breathless and almost knocked up, 
but if he could turn back and make one more spurt, along 
a hne that would halve the angle which the two com- 
panies of bisons were trying to make between them, he 
might yet be saved. Fremont accordingly pulled up 
short, and just as he was swinging the animal round, a 

301 



ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS 

most deafening discord of yells rose from the quarter to 
which he intended returning, accompanied by the quick 
rattle of a number of horse-hoofs. Dark moving figures 
dodged and glanced among the trees, and the shouting 
increased in volume ; then suddenly Fremont felt as if a 
red-hot iron had been thrust against the side of his shin. 
A fhght of Indian arrows had been launched, and one of * 
these, pitched low, had picered the stout leather of hist 
moccasin, and penetrated an inch into the flesh. For ' 
this he cared httle ; for the bisons had abandoned the 
pursuit, and were concerned with their own safety. ^ 

He reined up, and a party of mounted redskins shot past ' 
him hke a shadow, whooping and yelling, and seeming to 
care as httle for the trees as if they had not been there. ' 
Once more Fremont turned his horse and rode straight ' 
over to the path, his ears still deafened by the combined ' 
shouts of the Indians and the bellowing of the fleeing 
herd. 

Not far down the path he saw his companion, who, at 
sight of him, beckoned eagerly, and then cantered away * 
after the Indians. Fremont followed more slowly, and 
as he did so he began to "put two and two together." 
He remembered that, when they first saw the buck, they 
had been passing near a high gravel cliff, and, as he knew 
a good deal about Indian methods of hunting, he now ■ 
came to the conclusion that the herd which he and his 
companions had suddenly come upon had been run down ' 
by the redskins, who had all along been steadily driving ^ 
them towards the precipice. 

The shouts still did not abate, and after he had ridden 
nearly a couple of miles, Fremont found that every step '^■ 
was now taking him nearer to the noise ; and as he ' 

302 



br THE PRAIRIES AND BACKWOODS 

.Inerged into the clearing where the gravel cHfE was, it 
^R-elled into a savage roar of triumph. The Indians had 
vr»mehow collected the herd again, and, pressing hard on 
.|ieir track, had so terrified and bewildered them that 
Aey had forced them to the very brink of the precipice. 
\he first two or three ranks made no attempt to stop them- 
jblves, but fell headlong down, and the remainder were 
ton obhged to follow them, not daring to turn on so 
Lultitudinous and noisy a band of persecutors. 
j When Fremont came up he found his friend busily 
largaining with the Indian chief for the dehvery, at the 
jtsplorer's camp, of a large quantity of the beef thus 
l^eaply acquired ; and by this means the travellers pro- 
tixed many carcasses instead of the buck which they had 
pst, and the redskins cheerfully allowed themselves to be 
.ated below market-price in atonement for Fremont's 
round. To them the bison was what the seal is to the 
Eskimo, though, as usual, they had slain more than twice 
!|,s many animals as they needed. Among them every 
)article of a beast had its use— the flesh for preserving ; 
'he hide for leather ; the bones for clubs and musical 
nstruments ; the horns for spoons and spear-heads ; the 
iinews for bow-strings ; the hoofs for glue used in making 
-heir arrows ; and the longer hair for ropes. When to 
Lhese we add the tallow from the carcasses— each would 
iirield about a hundredweight— we can see what a valuable 
:>east has been lost to America through the sapient 
Dractice of kilhng the goose that lays the golden eggs. 

The American beaver's case is just the opposite of the 
bison's ; he was at one time perilously near extinction 
ecause his skin was required for the purpose of hat- 

303 



ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS 

making ; but, as we no longer wear beaver hats, the 
modern trapper has largely ceased to persecute him. 
The extent to which the slaughter of the clever Httle beast 
was carried by the older fur-traders is shown by the fact 
that a beaver-skin was at one time the unit of value in 
Canada. 

John Keast Lord, the celebrated army veterinary 
surgeon and naturalist, saw many hundreds of beavers 
caught while he was on his journey from Canada into the 
States ; and he also took careful note of the clever system 
of building and engineering for which these wonderful , 
animals are justly celebrated. About their building, ] 
there is little that is new to the modern reader. In brief, 
the beaver's purpose in dam-building is to protect himself 
against the wolves, lynxes, wolverines, etc. As long as 
the water is up to the level of the entry of his house, he 
is safe, but drought or frost may easily cut off the regular i 
supply of water from the river or lake where his colony , 
is ; and to guard against this, he builds a dam which 
will ensure a permanently equable depth of water. 

Lord was learned in most forms of traps and gins, having 
been a trapper himself in Canada ; but at first he was at 
a loss to understand the method by which the Yankee ; 
backwoodsmen secured the beavers. One day he accom- , 
panied an old trapper on his rounds, and the mystery was > 
explained. The first gin they came to was tenanted by a 
young beaver ; a tap on the head put an end to the poor ^ 
little thing, and then trap and beaver were pulled up to- . 
gether. There was nothing remarkable about the trap . 
or its position ; it was not particularly close to any , 
" lodge," and it had been set a good six inches under 
water. There was no sign of any bait having been laid, 

304 



OF THE PRAIRIES AND BACKWOODS 

I 

lough a slender twig protruded, as if by accident, from 

j joint of the trap. 

I " But Where's your bait ?" asked Lord, as the trapper 
'powed away his prize, and moved on to set the trap a Httle 
yther along the bank. 
The American produced a little bottle tightly corked. 

Here," he said. 

Lord took the phial, unstoppered it, and smelt the 
jbntents. From his knowledge of drugs he at once recog- 
nized the scent, 

] " Phew ! It's castoreum. What an artful dodge ! 
jrou fellows beat us hollow." 

'j " You can call it what you Hke," was the reply. " We 
lall it bark-stone, and I don't know nothing else as '11 catch 
|m. As it is, the old ones are mostly up to the trick." 
!| " But what is the trick ?" 

J " See here." The trapper pulled up at a hkely spot, 
Ind reopened the trap, throwing away the twig that had 
'een wedged in it. Then he plucked a twig of similar 
nickness from a bush, and broke it off to a length of 
tather less than a foot. One end of this he chewed till 
■:s fibres separated brush-hke, then dipped that end into 
■he bottle ; the other end he hitched in the trap perpen- 
"icular to it, and at last carefully lowered the trap, making 
j: fast about half a foot below the surface of the water. 
^ Can you see the bait now ?" he asked, pointing to the 
3W inches of twig that protruded above water. " As 
Don as they smell that they're sure to come nosing 
Vound, and it's odds if at least a young un don't get 
aught. Let's go on to the next trap." 

They did, and the trapper waxed abusive of beavers in 
eneral, and elderly and artful ones in particular. 

305 T7 



ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS 

" Just look at that, now," he said, pointing disgustedly 
to the spot where a beaver should have been, and where, ! 
instead, a neat mound of earth, twigs, mud, and stones 
was raised, as though in memory of the departed animal. 
" The old uns are that cute, they seem to do it out of 
aggravation." 

In the end, out of fifty traps inspected, forty were 
tenanted, but the other ten had been thus ignominiously 
treated. It would seem that the intelUgence of many 
old beavers leads them to warn their weaker brethren of: 
danger, and, on coming upon one of the baits, they at: 
once do all they can to destroy or bury the snare. This ; 
mysterious bait is derived from the bark-stone (or cas- 
toreum, as the druggist calls it), secreted in the body of: 
the beaver ; it has a pecuharly pungent smell, which: 
appears to be very agreeable to the animals, many of j 
which risk and sacrifice their Hves for the sake of being' 
near it. 

Returning into Canada from tliis eventful journey, 
Mr. Lord also had dealings with another animal of thet 
backwoods — the cawquaw, or American porcupine ; and 
his efforts to secure a Uving specimen were not particu- 
larly successful. This creature bears but httle apparent ' 
resemblance to the porcupine that is found in the South ; 
and East, Lord was introduced to the gentleman by a 
young wild dog which he was endeavouring to capture, ; 
and which he had stalked for a couple of miles, armed i 
with a bit of meat and a lasso. The dog stopped sud-. 
denly, and made a point at an animal considerably bigger t 
than himself, that in the distance looked hke a very large r, 
wolverene. Lord stole gently forward, and hid behind a 
tree. The dog yapped and snifEed, but was careful to I 

306 



i>F 



OF THE PRAIRIES AND BACKWOODS 

i 

[eep away from the stranger's teeth ; but suddenly the 

rfjtiknown animal's hair stood on end, and he lashed out 

iiriously with his tail as the dog barked behind him. 

The poor pup bhnked and sneezed, then set up a 
:;arious waiHng cry, and tore off out of sight as if mad- 
i|ened with pain. Lord sent a charge of shot into the 
ibranger, finding that he could not get near enough to 

sso him, and then went over to make a post-mortem. 

i[he " hair " that had so easily erected itself was mainly 

i'istle, and the murderous nine-inch tail looked like a 

;rip of hedgehog skin. Lord afterwards found that the 

awquaw is a terror to the most vicious woK, and not 

luch less (though for a different reason) to the forest- 

wner. There is no beast in the world — not even the 

caver — that is so destructive to the trees. One cawquaw 

,111 ruin a couple of acres of forest-land in a year, by the 

aiimple process of chmbing to the top of a tree, and gradu- 

lly peeHng off and eating the bark, working his way 

rteadily downwards till he has spoiled one tree, and then 

a;oing on to another. 

•, A typical American animal, and an alarmingly de- 
itructive one, is the opossum, a beast the size of a domestic 
Ssat, and combining in himself the worst vices of cat, fox, 
j-at, and monkey. To zoologists it is of special interest 
ks belonging to a family rarely seen except in AustraHa — 
j-he pouched animals. The late Mr. PhiHp Henry Gosse, 
jy'.il.S., gives an amusing account of the tricks and depre- 
liations of this marsupial, and of the negro method of 
lunting him. 

. Mr. Gosse was staying in the Georgian backwoods with 
Major Kendrick, an old amateur backwoodsman who had 

307 u 2 



ADVENTURES AMONG WILD BEASTS ?| 

established quite a little settlement there, and to whose 
poultry the neighbouring 'possums were a perpetual pest.i 
Not an egg, not a young bird, was secure from them ; and' 
the Major's fruit-trees and melon-patch were continually 
devastated by them. s 

The cunning of the fox is even surpassed by that of then 
'possum ; yet these beasts were not particularly difficult 
to trap, and when trapped, the negro servants made a 
hearty meal of them, pronouncing them as tender as: 
sucking-pig. But what is the use of traps agamst animalsls 
that produce litters of ten and fifteen at a time ? 

Mr. Gosse came upon a 'possum one evening in the 
poultry-yard, and as he drove the beast into a corner, it 
dropped, and lay to all appearances quite dead, just as thef 
fox will do, " only more so." The Englishman, knowing 
the creature's artfulness, rewarded it with a hearty kick 
that sent it over the palings ; the opossum opened one eye, 
saw that he was unpursued, then calmly picked himself'] 
up and walked off. It is said that the animal willi:s 
" 'possum " or " sham dead " for haK an hour at a stretch ; < 
and, after having received kicks and blows enough to turn : 
sham into reahty with a much larger beast, will yet jump 
up and run away the first moment the chance offers. >[ 

One evening Major Kendrick called his guest, to warn i 
him of a 'possum-hunt which the negroes were planning, ■ 
and Mr. Gosse hastened to join it. While the blacks were [ 
lighting their pine-torches, excited barks came from the I 
melon-patch outside the farmyard ; the dogs had started • 
the game of themselves. Every one rushed to the spot, ' 
and arrived in time to see a 'possum dodge from a couple 
of dogs, and disappear like a squirrel up a tree. 

Torches were at once brought, and their hght showed 

308 



OF THE PRAIRIES AND BACKWOODS 

ae criminal airily seated on a low bough, just irritatingly 
ijit of reach of the dogs, holding on by his claws and 
»Lonkey-hke tail, and leering down at his persecutors as 
iough to remind them that their own claws were never 
^ade for chmbing. The dogs were barking themselves 
Hoarse, when a negro, surrendering his torch to a mate, 
tet to work to chmb the tree. 

f The moment the opossum saw this, he sprang to the 
i&xt branch with the agiHty of a spider-monkey, and, 
jiad another tree been near enough, would perhaps have 
jscaped altogether. As it was, the higher the negro 
ilimbed, the more the 'possum mounted, till he was up 
i^oft on the smallest twigs, where no man would dare 
srenture. But the black was not at the end of his re- 
'lources. Having cHmbed as high as he could, he shook the 
Lree vigorously ; the 'possum held Uke wax : he shook it 
La,gain ; the beast swayed and wavered, but still hung on. 
pThis went on for some minutes ; then the negro uttered a 
ihout of joy : he had dislodged the enemy. But yet the 
Ij' possum was not beaten ; in his fall he managed to twist 
ihis tail round a lower transverse branch, and hung there 
(to get breath. But his fate had led him to the end of a 
bough that had no other underneath it ; the negro slowly 
descended to the fork, and the shaking had to be begun all 
lover again. And now the 'possum was tired out ; his 
lefEorts at keeping his hold grew fainter, and at last he 
Idropped. In a moment a dog had him by the nose, and 
ivery soon he was in a condition to be put aside for the 
victorious negro's supper. 



309 






CHAPTER XXVI 

HUNTING THE WESTERN LION AND TIGER 

The puma and the jaguar. — The puma as a dangerous beast. — An un 
pleasant awakening. — Following the trail of an old puma. — The 
" painter " in the tree. — A bold trapper. — An accident. — The puma 
jumps down. — A fight with a " painter " on the ground. — An 
awful minute. — Gaining ground. — Losing it again. — Rescued by 
the trapper. — Carrying the mauled man back to camp. — Lieu- 
tenant Brand, R.N. — Puma-himting with dogs. — Using the bolas > 
on the beast. — A pet. — Lassoing the puma on the pampas. — 
" Taming " him. — Lassoing the jaguar. — Lying in wait for him at 
night. — Danger of a muzzle-loader, — A narrow escape. — Saved by 
the Gaucho's bolas. — How Lieutenant Gibbon shot a jaguar. — j 
The turtle-eater. — Reasons for abandoning the hammock. — A 
horrible situation. — The Indian to the rescue. — A good shot. 

"Lion" and "tiger," in the American sense, must be ^^ 
regarded purely as nicknames — the first for the puma, ' 
the second for the jaguar ; for what has been said in a 
previous chapter concerning the monkey of the Western 
world applies to most of the other American wild beasts ; 
taken as a whole, they are smaller and less to be dreaded 
by man than those of the other hemisphere. 

The puma is susceptible of education and moral 
improvement ; there was a time when, undoubtedly, he 
killed large numbers of children, to say nothing of an 
occasional adult ; but, unlike others of his tribe, he has 

310 



I HUNTING THE WESTERN LION 

teamed wisdom by experience, and has so far mended 
lis manners that he has seldom been known to attempt 
mman Hfe within the last forty years, even under provo- 
cation, though his energies, where young horses and cattle 
fire concerned, are relatively undiminished. He has 
gained his name of lion from a resemblance that he is 
supposed to bear to the young honess ; he is from four 
md a half to five feet long, Ught brown in colour, and 
pan cUmb Uke a cat or leap hke a tiger. He has been 
.known to spring to a bough twenty feet from the ground. 
:His geographical range is pretty much that of the wild 
Ihorse ; from mid-north to far south of America. 
j When Mr. Ruxton, the naturalist, was exploring the 
' Western States in 1845, the puma had not yet fully grasped 
J the fact that civihzed man does not tamely allow himself 
t to be attacked and devoured by wild beasts ; and the 
J result was that he formed an important feature in the 
, stirring adventures which the Enghshman encountered 
while sojourning among the trappers in the backwoods. 
; Once Mr. Ruxton was awakened by the crack of a rifle, 
and, on raising his head, saw a dead puma lying by his 
side. Made reckless by the scarcity of food, the brute 
had entered the backwoodsman's camp, and had been in 
the very act of springing upon the sleeping explorer 
when a watchful trapper brought him down with a 
buUet. 

On another occasion a puma was seen tracking an 
Indian girl, and was only shot just in the nick of time by 
one of Ruxton's red-skinned guides. But the narrowest 
escape for himself was when he and one of the trappers 
went in pursuit of an old puma that, no longer equal to 
the effort of running down horses or deer, divided hig 

311 



HUNTING THE WESTERN LION 

attentions between lying in wait for human prey am 
devouring the animals caught in the traps. 

Such a neighbour was not to be put up with, and Ti 
a young Irish trapper, vowed that he would be the deat' 
of him. So, accompanied by Mr. Ruxton, he set out o; 
the beast's trail, which was very soon found by the mar 
of his claws in the clay ; for this beast " sharpens hii 
claws " — i.e., removes frayed particles from the points 
by scratching them against the earth, just as a jaguar 
claws a tree-trunk, or a cat the carpet and the chair- 
seats. 

Starting from this point, the young Irishman led the 
way as surely as a dog could have done, pointing out to 
the astonished traveller, as they went along, scores of 
indications which no inexperienced man would have 
dreamt of connecting with the recent passage of a puma : 
indented leaves, bent bushes, broken twigs, flattened 
grass, and the like ; and, more indisputable still, a depres- 
sion in the longer grass where the animal had stopped to 
rest, and that was still almost warm. 

But when they had followed the track for nearly a mile 
past this, the Irishman stopped. 

" Look out now," he said warningly ; 'he took to a 
tree here ;" and he pointed to the deeper mark that the 
hind-claws had made in the moist ground. Both men 
drew back, and eagerly scanned the branches of the 
nearest tree ; but at this time of year the foliage was 
thick, and the wide, leafy boughs would have concealed 
completely a much larger beast than the "painter," 
as the Americans call the puma ; and though the 
hunters closely scanned every branch, not a sign of him 
was to be seen. Yet, when they came to examine 

312 



AND TIGER 

tie ground farther on, there was no track of any kind 

Isible. 

■ He must be here," said the trapper, again looking 
l^irough the leaves overhead. As he spoke, the leaves 
ftirred, and the attention of both was at once riveted in 
aiiat direction ; but stiU they could see nothing. 
i "The wind, probably," said Ruxton ; "or else a 

Jinake." 

3 The trapper did not reply, but turned away to inspect 

vhe ground once more, leaving Ruxton still craning his 

iieck to stare into the tree. After a few minutes the 

jtrishman rejoined him. He laid his gun on the ground, 

Dook a pistol from his pocket, and stuck it handy in his 

Jpelt. 

i " Sure as death, he's there," he said ; "and I'm going 

to have him down." 

i He led Ruxton by the shoulder five or six paces away. 
" You stand there and pot him when I shout. Here ; 
there's my gun as weU, so you'll have two bites. I'm 
going up the tree." 

He unsheathed his hunting-knife and placed it between 
his teeth, and, with the readiness that comes of long 
practice, had reached the first fork before the Enghshman 
had recovered from his astonishment at the audacity of 
the plan. Arrived here, the young trapper reUed on his 
feet to maintain his hold, and, knife in on© hand and 
pistol in the other, scanned the neighbourhood minutely 
for a few seconds ; then cried out, " Got him ; be ready !" 

The next moment the puma, which had been crouching 
lengthways along the bough above that on which Tim 
was standing, stood up with a low growl. 

" Fire !" cried the trapper. 

313 



HUNTING THE WESTERN LION j I 

In his excitement Ruxton sighted too low, and the': 
bullet that ought to have slain the beast, had he remained i 
crouching, passed harmlessly under his body. Ruxton 
hurriedly dropped his gun and picked up the Irishman's ; 
as he did so, the pistol overhead exploded, followed by 
an imprecation from the trapper. His foot had slipped, : 
and in saving himself he had inadvertently touched the ; 
trigger. 

Ruxton cocked the second gun, but, as the hammer 
cUcked back, the cinnamon-coloured body of the puma . 
shot down at him slantways like an enormous arrow ; t 
he pulled the trigger, but the bullet went anywhere except 
into the animal's body ; and the next thing he knew was 
that he was lying on his back with the awful hooked claws 
of the puma's hind-feet cutting their way through his 
moccasins into his shins. 

Ruxton shut his eyes, and opened them again, feehng 
that it must all be a dream ; but the sudden pressure of 
one of the fore-paws on his breast, and then a pain there 
as though the place had been seared with a hot iron, 
assured him that it was a most horrible reality. The 
flaming eyes of the beast glared tlireateningly down 
into his, and he felt that his last moment had come. 
But life is never so dear to a man as when he is nearest 
to losing it, and, regardless of the teeth that snapped 
and flashed in his face, the prostrate man raised both 
hands to grip the " painter's " throat. He succeeded 
so well that a terrific roar from the brute was stifled at 
the outset. This enabled him to hear a shout of en- 
couragement from his fellow-hunter ; but at that moment 
the voice sounded as though it came from miles away. 

But of impressions nearer at hand he was most pain- 

314 



' AND TIGER 

uUy conscious ; there was not a movement of the brute's 
jody that did not bring torturing agony with it ; he could 
i.ven find time to notice that many of the puma's teeth 
[eemed to be broken or missing. Exerting aU his force, 
'le tightened his grip, and experienced a savage satisfac- 
ibion as he felt the hot, muscular throat yield to his nervous 
,grasp. If he could maintain his hold for another minute 
Ihe would have conquered the beast unaided. 
jl But even while he made this triumphant reflection 
ithe pain of his chest increased to such a degree that he 
iinvoluntarily cried out ; and while a sweat of exhaustion 
(started from every pore of his skin, the puma's second 
fore-foot, which had been on the ground hitherto, was 
lifted on to his shoulder, and by its weight alone seemed 
to rob him of the power to hold on any longer. 

An alert young backwoodsman does not usually take 
> long to reach the ground from a height of twenty feet ; 
or to cover another thirty, when once he is on the ground, 
particularly if another man's Hfe is at stake. Tim was 
almost as active as the puma himself ; yet it seemed 
hours to both men before he could reach the scene of the 
combat. A film was creeping over Ruxton's eyes, and 
he felt his fingers relaxing their grasp ; he struggled to 
make it good, but in spite of aU his efiorts the head and 
neck of the brute were jerked free. And then came a 
sensation of inexpressible relief, as though a half-ton 
weight had been lifted off him ; the puma had sprung 
away from him altogether. Before he had more than 
realized this, the Irishman's voice sounded close by his 
ear : " No, you don't, my friend "; there was a sound as 
if the trapper had struck something with his fist, and then 

a muffled growl, 

315 



HUNTING THE WESTERN LION 

Ruxton sat up with pain and difficulty ; close besi^ 
him the puma lay dead, with the haft of a bowie-knifS 
protruding from the back of his neck. 

" You stuck to him like a Briton, and good luck to you ! 
shouted the delighted Irishman. " But you should hav] 
hit him instead of holding him, and he'd have run away.l 
He was ofi the moment he heard me coming ; only I 
happened to be a little too near." 

" Why didn't you come before ? What made you so 
long ?" asked Ruxton wearily. 

The trapper rephed indirectly : "A grisly had me 
cornered once ; and though my finger was on the trigger, 
it took me half an hour to pull it ; yet the other fellows 
swore it was all over in two seconds." 

The good-hearted fellow then dressed the Englishman's 
wounds, and Hfting him on to his back, cheerfully tramped 
the three miles home to their camp. 

The puma is often hunted with dog and gun, particu- 
larly in South America ; and Lieutenant Brand, R.N., 
tells us that it is exceedingly good sport. He took part 
in many such hunts while spending a holiday in Brazil, 
and found them almost as interesting as African leopard- 
shooting. The plan was to let the dogs turn out the 
beast and chase him, in which case he would take to a 
tree. Being the coward that he probably is, the puma 
would not, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, turn 
on the dogs, but- would make for the nearest refuge with 
as much assiduity as a cat chased by a terrier, and stay 
there till he was shot by the hunters. Certainly he 
would not have stood much chance against the dogs, for 
those used by the Gauchos for this sport are a small but 
particularly savage breed, known as leoneros, something 

316 



AND TIGER 

ie our whippets, and having all the activity and perse- 
Wance of ferrets. 

But in the hundredth case, either the puma would 

urn, or there would be no tree handy ; in the latter 

vent the beast would endeavour to find shelter in a 

lole or cave, or else run amok through the dogs, and 

:|iake a dash for the sportsmen themselves. The latter 

jlappened once when Mr. Brand had joined a Gaucho 

^pnting-party ; the puma rushed through and outran 

,he dogs, and seemed quite ready to attack their masters. 

iprand was going to shoot, but a Gaucho laughingly 

iiecommended him not to waste his powder ; and, with 

$ careless swing of his arm, sent his bolas (three metal 

;^alls, each fastened to a leather thong, the thongs all 

*[)eing joined at one end) straight at the beast. It took 

l^im round the neck ; he fell down choking, and the dogs 

'quickly put an end to his struggles. 

Seeing so many tame pumas in the huts of the Gauchos 
made Brand desire to possess one, and he offered one of 
phese fellows a good sum for his pet. But the Gaucho 
shook his head. " My wife and children would never for- 
give me," he said. " But get on your horse and come 
with me ; there have been several about here lately, as 
my cattle know to their cost. I'll try and catch a young 
one for you." 

They rode a mile or two across the pampas, accom- 
panied by a couple of dogs, and eventually these started a 
full-grown puma from a cave. 

" But he's too big to tame, surely," objected the 
Englishman. 

"We catch and tame them both in one," said the 
Gaucho, grinning, and unhitching his lasso. 

317 



HUNTING THE WESTERN LION 

" But how if he bites or scratches ?" 

" Trim his claws and file his teeth. — There you are !" 

Without checking his horse, the Gaucho sent his lassi 
whisthng through the air ; it fell over the puma's head| 
and pulled him up sharply in mid-career. 

" This will tam3 him, seiioi," shouted the Gaucho. 
His horse swerved round suddenly, and galloped in the 
opposite direction, dragging the unfortunate puma along 
the ground after him at a frightful rate. But such 
" sport " was not likely to appeal to an English gentleman, 
and Brand rode away disgusted. 

The Gauchos serve the jaguar in exactly the same way, 
but they continue their ride till the beast is dead. If 
there be any palliation for this cruelty — apart from their 
knowing no better — it Ues in the fact that the beast, when 
he takes it into his head to leave the forest, will slay every 
head of cattle that he can get near. By nature he cleaves 
as much to the forest as the tiger to the jungle ; but, like 
the tiger, if he once acquires the habit of visiting stock- 
yards or villages, nothing but a bullet, or something 
similar, will break him of it. 

Most South Americans call him the tiger (tigre), though 
he is more Hke a heavily-built leopard ; for his size he is 
stronger even than the Uon, and is probably the most in- 
telligent and rational of any of the Felidce. He is un- 
daunted by any animal — except, perhaps, a herd of pec- 
caries ; he will attack man if he is annoyed or hungry, 
and will even slay the terrible caiman, the huge alhgator 
of the West. As long as he remains in the forest and near 
a big river, he will leave man and his property alone, 
for he has an abundance of other provisions : fish, 
monkeys, Uzards, turtle-eggs, etc. 

318 



AND TIGER 

Lieutenant Brand spent two nights watching for one of 
aese brutes that had abandoned the forest and taken to 
^ttle-hftmg. On the fixst night the beast had an appoint- 
ment elsewhere ; but, on the second, he turned up, though 
ot without keeping the hunter waiting tiU he was numbed 
nth cold and more than half asleep. Brand had taken 
.p a position agamst the fence of a compound where some 
roung wild horses were confined, from which he would 
.ave a good view over the plain ; and at last his patience 
vas rewarded, for, peeping round the angle, he saw by 
he hght of the moon a large jaguar coming towards the 
l^ompound at a confident Uttle trot. 

The EngUshman's gun was loaded in both barrels, 
md he aUowed the beast to come within fairly short 
-ange before he fired. At the first bullet the jaguar 
growled ; at the second he dropped, and the young sailor 
dehghtedly started forward to examme his prize. Two 
steps, however, in that direction, were quite enough for 
him, 'seeing that his gun had not yet been reloaded ; 
lor the jaguar had come to Ufe again, and, as though 
ho buUet had ever touched him, was abeady coming 
towards the Lieutenant by means of a series of lengthy 

leaps. 

Brand's gun was a muzzle-loader, and he had not yet 

'learned the trick, common enough among the Gauchos 

'and backwoodsmen, of " ramrodless " loading— *.e., of 

keeping the mouth fuU of bullets, and spitting one down 

the barrel on the top of a smaU handful of loose powder 

without using a wad of any sort. He did not like the 

idea of running away, and such a proceeding would hardly 

profit him, either, against the jaguar's speed, and there 

i was no house within a mile or more ; yet he had no other 

319 



HUNTING THE WESTERN LION 

weapon than the empty gun, which there was no possible 
time to load. 

Fortunately for him he was an athlete, and, feeling 
confident in his activity, he clubbed his gun and awaited 
the arrival of the jaguar, prepared to step aside when the 
beast sprang, and get in first blow. The green eyes came 
nearer ; one more bound would bring their owner to the 
spot where the Lieutenant was standing. Then a human 
laugh, followed by an exclamation in Spanish, sounded 
from the farther angle of the compound ; at the same time 
there was a peculiar whistling in the air, and as the 
jaguar was about to spring, he fell back roaring faintly, 
and lay rolHng and writhing. 

" I'd got my gun loaded, and then found I had no caps," 
cried an elderly Gaucho, as he walked quickly towards 
the Englishman. " I had fallen asleep in the compound, 
and your shots waked me ; I think my bolas has finished 
him ; if not, this will," and he drew his knife. 

The two walked to where the jaguar lay ; he was bleed- 
ing profusely from the two bullet-wounds and was just 
drawing his last breath. Brand had only once before 
seen the result of a bolas-throw, and he was not a little 
startled ; the thong had cut quite a valley in the thick 
hide of the animal's body ; had it caught him in the neck 
it must have killed him independently of the bullet- 
wounds. 

It has been stated in another chapter that Lieutenant 
Gibbon, U.S.N. , was forced to spend many nights in a 
hammock slung from the trees on the bank of the 
Amazon. During that time he was able to watch the 
jaguar as well as the monkeys ; sometimes both beasts 
at once. One night he shot a jaguar while that animal 

320 



AND TIGER 

sras occupied in a most extraordinary manner. Gibbon 

ad been awakened by a loud roaring, and, as he always 

jiept with a gun as his hammock-fellow, he sat up and 

ok aim at a jaguar that was but fifteen yards away, 
4id with his back half turned to the explorer. For some 
^jime Mr. Gibbon could not make out what the beast was 
ioing, for the fire had died out ; in the faint moonlight he 
fBemed to be digging his paw repeatedly into the ground 
Itnd raising it again to Hck it, like a bear eating honey. 
t At the click of the gun-hammer he raised his head, thus 
ifEering an excellent mark to the bullet, which killed 
j)iim instantly. In the morning Gibbon found that the 
ieast had captured a good-sized turtle, had turned the 
feptile over on its back, and, having torn away the small 
loft part of the under-shell, had been neatly ripping out 
he meat with his paw. But perhaps this is no more 
Itriking than his method of killing deer or cattle : sprmging 
»n the creature's back, he maintains his hold with his 
^nd claws, says Mr. Gibbon, and, placing one fore-paw 
pTi the victim's head, grasps the muzzle with the other ; 
ihen gives a sharp, deft wrench to the head, which in- 
tantly dislocates the neck-vertebrae, and kills the animal 
jainlessly. 

The time came when the Lieutenant determined to 
jibandon his hammock and sleep on the ground, when the 
3oat was impracticable ; the cause of this resolution was 
lis follows. On most mornings he was awakened at sun- 
l-ise by the choruses of the howling monkeys ; but one day 
their noise began before the usual time, though, on looking 
ip wards, he was unable to divine the cause of their 
5arly rising. There was not a single monkey of any sort 
n his tree, but excited howls came from every other one 

321 X 



HUNTING THE WESTERN LION 

near at hand. But suddenly he felt the bough to whicll 
his hammock ropes were fastened rocking, and saw t( 
his horror that a jaguar was occupjdng the bough, am 
looking savagely down at him. 

What had probably happened was this. The monkey 
next to turtle-eggs, is his favourite food. During th< 
night he stands little chance of such a meal, for th<l 
monkeys, aware of his propensities, seek the slende: 
branches, and even then " sleep with one eye open.'! 
But when daylight is going, or just appearing, they ar<' 
less on their guard, and then he sometimes makes quit< 
a haul. Gibbon once saw a jaguar strike down fou:( 
fleeing monkeys, one after the other, with his paw. S( 
rapid are his movements. This morning the brute hac 
no doubt been disappointed ; the monkeys had escaped 
and he was still hungry. Moreover, judging from hii 
particularly vicious expression, it would seem that b 
associated the young explorer with this disappointment. 

Gibbon stealthily drew his gun nearer, without raisinj 
himself or taking his eyes off the animal ; but the difficult;; 
was, how was he to take anything like a sure aim befor< 
the beast sprang ? The mere pointing of the gun woulc 
most probably aggravate him into action, and unfor 
tunately there were over many twigs and sticks in th' 
way to balk the aim or turn aside the bullet ; anc 
the jaguar wounded would be a thousand times mor 
dangerous than the jaguar whole. 

There was just the hope that some of the Indians 
several of whom had their hammocks on the next tree 
might have caught sight of the beast ; but even then thei 
weapons seemed "^miserably puny for such work as this 
The hope was not without foundation, for Gibbon suddenl; 

322 




A Hungry Jaguar 

The jaguar being disappointed of a meal of monkeys, inspected Lieutenant Gibbon 
with a view to substituting him. Gibbon was afraid to move for fear of precipitating 
matters, but an Indian who saw his danger brought the animal down with an arrow 
through his breast. 



' AND TIGER 

ieard a whistle scarcely louder than a serpent's hiss, and 
poking straight over his own feet, he saw an Indian sitting 
ip in his hammock with his bow drawn. The native 
framed him with a look to lie motionless ; then the bow- 
ttring twanged, and scarcely had it done so when, with 
El crash and a half -choked roar, the jagnar fell, his back 
^o the earth, almost into Gibbon's hammock. The 
^American cocked his gun, but the arrow had passed 
jthrough the beast's breast and blade-bone. 

After such an adventure, it is not surprising that Mr. 

ibbon determined to change his quarters. 



jG: 



323 X 2 



CHAPTER XXVII 

ADVENTURES WITH PECCARIES AND THE TAPIRS 

\ 

The peccary. — One of the fiercest beasts in America. — Some objection- j; 
able visitors at a rancho. — Besieged. — Picking the enemy o£E. — A ] 
heavy undertaking. — Trying to knock down the fence. — Another ' 
leader shot. — An entry to the yard effected. — Reckoning without '| 
the veranda. — A slight reinforcement. — The peccaries turning the ; 
tables on the shooters. — Up a tree. — A dog killed. — The peccaries 
driven off. — Fight between jaguar and peccaries. — A terrible'; 
thrashing for the jaguar. — His escape. — The American tapir. — j 
Mr. Mathison's attempt to lasso one. — Dragged along by the tapir. ^^J 
— A horrible death in view. — The horse down. — Just in time. — 
The proper way to lasso a tapir. 

The ordinary " wild pig " of America is, again, the descen-i? 
dant of imported animals that have gradually " throwni 
back" to the savage state of their original ancestors. 
Nevertheless, the pig tribe is not entirely unknown as a- 
Western product, for it is represented by the peccaries,) 
which are of two sorts : the white-Hpped and the collared ;l 
the latter is slightly larger, the former being but three feetf 
long and fifteen inches high. \\ 

To look at these little creatures one would think them 
harmless, and as near an approach to prettiness as thef 
hog tribe can produce ; yet the planter, the Indian, and 
the Gaucho have as much wholesome respect for them as 
for the jaguar. Even one peccary can do as much harm 

324 



ADVENTURES WITH PECCARIES 

Indth his teeth as the most savage bulldog that ever 
[ived ; and a small herd of them will destroy everything 
jbhat comes in their way, from a jaguar to a cornfield, and 
from a man to a chicken. Instead of ripping, as the 
boar does, they use their teeth, which are large, pointed, 
land two-edged. 

I The white-lipped variety is not so generally found as 
itthe other, but he is still fairly plentiful in Central America. 
While estabhshing the EngUsh settlement at Black River, 
(Honduras, Mr. Thomas Young saw rather more of him 
I than he wished, for hundreds of pounds' worth of planta- 
'jtion and growing crops were destroyed, cattle and horses 
I maimed, and poultry devoured, by the mischievous 
i beast and his brethren ; and even human life was not safe 
' while a herd was in the immediate neighbourhood. The 
settlers tried every means of destroying them — traps, 
bullets, dogs, etc. — and they succeeded tolerably well so 
long as they dealt only with the individual, but they were 
powerless against a number. One of Mr. Young's ex- 
periences in trying to drive them from the vicinity of 
his rancho was amusing, though it might easily have been 
tragical. 

He was all alone in the rancho, his companions and 
servants being away on a hunting excursion, when a 
chorus of shrill, abrupt grunts greeted his ears, and he 
hastened to close the door, knowing how an invasion of 
the bungalow by these savage porkers would be hkely 
to end. Then he clambered through the window to the 
top of a rough and very broad veranda, with which the 
front of the place was ornamented, and, gun in hand, 
surveyed the would-be besiegers. 

Here, at any rate, was a chance to avenge some of the 

325 



ADVENTURES WITH PECCARIES 



j« 



recent damage to his property ; the herd was over sevent; 
in number, and knowing something of their habits by I 
this time, Young felt confident that the best way to keep ' 
them within range of his gun was to kill one of them : 
for so clannish is the peccaries' disposition that, if one of 
their number should be slain or injured, they will strive - 
by every possible means to avenge liim. He loaded with ] 
large shot, and fired at the nearest rank of the animals, 3 
that were poking about on the ground looking for food, i 
or staring sullenly up at him. • 

One pig fell dead, and two others, badly torn by the i 
shots, seemed as though they had taken leave of their ! 
wits, for they ran, squeaking and grunting, right round 
the whole herd and back to their places again, where 
they stood stamping, and snapping their teeth at nothing. 
This teeth-snapping is a common feature of the peccaries, 
and when it is performed by several at once, as is often 
the case, it creates an echoing, metalhc clatter that can be 
heard at a great distance. 

The nearest animal to the dead peccary was the old^ 
boar under whose leadership the herd had no doubt 
arrived. He dashed up to the carcass, sniffed it, and 
then seemed to be haranguing his followers in a series of 
high-pitched grunts. By this time the Englishman had 
reloaded, and now took the leader as his mark. The 
beast fell dead, and Young began almost to regret that he 
had killed him, for it seemed as though the herd would 
flee now that their state was headless. He quickly loaded 
and fired again, and two other beasts fell, writhing pitiably, 
blmded, if not mortally wounded. 

But if Young had feared lest his targets should decamp, 
he saw that apprehension on that score was groundless ; 

326 



AND THE TAPIRS 

(I he was far more likely to be in case to wish them gone, for 
l^j a new king arose, and under his guidance the whole party- 
el made a mad dash at the pales that fenced off the rancho 
• on every side. They recoiled, shrieking and (if their 
object was to break down the stockade) unsuccessful, 
, and in the middle of their disorder Young found time to 
I get in another shot ; the pellets fell on the backs of half 
I a dozen of the peccaries, seeming to do but trifling 
damage ; rather they had the effect of increasing their 
fury, and they charged a second time, and with greater 
force than before — though with no better result — at the 
paUngs. 

Young began to see that he was wasting both time and 
shot ; if the herd was to be destroyed, it must be by 
means of bullets, and those carefully aimed. The next 
assault of the beasts confirmed him in his decision as to 
a change of tactics, for this time the fence swayed and 
rattled, and it seemed as though some of the stout poles 
would be snapped. Without more delay the executioner 
sent a bullet into the leader, which was on the left wing 
of the army, and the next charge was rammed down 
before the other peccaries had finished their dirge over 
their fallen general. 

Another assault was made, this time over the body of 
the dead leader, and consequently farther to the left, with 
the unfortunate result that the brunt of it struck the 
gate instead of the fence, and this, being but Ughtly fas- 
tened, flew open, and the whole herd began to swarm 
through into the yard. Of course this could scarcely 
make Young's own position less safe, for no herd of 
peccaries could beat down the heavy door of the house, 
and he rather congratulated himself on the enemy's 

327 



ADVENTURES WITH PECCARIES 

coming nearer to his gun. He fired once more into the 
charging mob, but could not check it, and by the time 
he had loaded again not a single animal was in view. 

Young had reckoned without the veranda. Naturally 
the beasts had charged at the house-wall, and the moment 
they reached it they were almost secure from the gun, 
for the veranda so overhung the ground-floor that only 
by breaking down a part of the parapet that protected it 
could the explorer hope to take aim at the animals ; even 
then he would have to He in the breach thus made, and 
direct his barrel under the veranda-floor. While he was 
revolving various plans, he heard the voices and laughter 
of two men coming towards the rancho ; two of his friends 
had returned from their hunting. 

" Look out !" he cried, pointing downwards. " Peccaries. 
Go to the end and fire over the rails." 

The two new arrivals made for the end of the house, 
and were aghast to see their yard thus invaded, for both 
knew the savage nature of the beasts. 

" It looks like having to kill the whole herd," shouted 
Young. " I can't persuade the brutes to move." 

The two men began a desultory firing, without very 
much heart to their work ; for the peccaries at first had 
not the sense to run out of the gateway by which they 
had entered, and the whole performance seemed uncom- 
fortably like firing into a pigsty and calhng it " sport." 
It was, moreover, a useless waste of life, for no European 
can eat peccary-pork unless a gland in the neck is removed 
before the carcass has stiffened, and the only result of 
such carnage would be to bring round the rancho all the 
vultures and wild dogs within miles. 

But the tables were to be turned on the slaughterers 

328 



AND THE TAPIRS 

before long. By the time five of the peccaries had been 
lulled the herd had discovered the way out, and, tired 
bf trying to beat down the pahsade to get at the shooters, 
they swept through the gateway in pursuit of them. One 
i)f the men sprang back and swarmed up the nearest tree ; 
fche other vaulted the rails into the yard, only to find half 
I the peccaries wheel back like lightning in chase of him. 
i^uckily for him, he was near one of the stanchions that 
supported the veranda, and, being young and active, he 
'Soon succeeded in climbing out of reach of their teeth. 
1 But the position was still awkward enough ; the man 
|n the tree had exhausted all his ammunition, and the 
'pigs could easily get under cover from the veranda- 
firing. For another quarter of an hour the men awaited 
23atiently the arrival of their friends, hoping devoutly 
■that they would return in a body, in which case their 
number would most Kkely frighten away the invaders. 

At last their hopes were reahzed, for six white men and 
as many Indians were seen making their way among the 
trees, accompanied by two or three dogs. One of the 
latter, at sight of the peccaries, made a dash at them ; but 
the poor beast was bitten to death before a gun could be 
fired. However, on se^^ing so large a reinforcement, the 
new leader of the herd trotted away uttering pecuHar 
grunts, and, after a moment's hesitation, the rest followed 
him, and all disappeared, leaving the hunters once more 
masters of their own. home. 

Lieutenant Gibbon once saw a jaguar treated with al- 
most as little mercy by the peccaries as the dog just 
mentioned. The jaguar, cross and hungry, was perched 
in a tree near the spot where the explorer's canoe was 
passing when a peccary-boar came grunting by, Down 

329 



ADVENTURES WITH PECCARIES 

sprang the jaguar, and, as he fell, the boar raised his voice 
in a grunt and a scream, which were soon silenced by the 
powerful paws that now held his head between them. 
Almost before the breath had gone from the victim's body 
a score of his relatives had charged from among the 
bushes and surrounded the murderer. 

Gibbon whispered to the Indians to stop, and prepared 
to watch the fun. Snarling angrily, the jaguar looked up 
from his contemplated meal, and as one of the peccaries 
advanced, struck at him with his paw ; but, swift though 
the movement was, the plucky Httle beast dodged it 
and administered a sharp bite on the other fore-leg. This 
was the signal for hostilities to begin in earnest. One 
and all, the peccaries closed on their tribe's enemy, and 
drove their lancet-like teeth into all parts of his body, 
snapping at his paws whenever they were raised to strike, 
and hanging on to his haunches every time he endeavoured 
to leap into the tree above. 

But in the end superior intelligence was to carry the 
day. Some naturaHsts explain away the courage of the 
peccary by attributing it to sheer thick-headedness and 
mental inability to apprehend the idea of danger. Be 
that as it may, the poor jaguar deserved credit for his 
escape from such a one-sided contest. Trusting in his 
power of sudden movement, he all at once rose about 
four feet in the air, and, disregarding the bites that saluted 
his paws as they alighted again on the ground or on the 
backs of his closely-packed opponents, summoned all 
his strength for one long bound which should take him 
clean off the bank into the river. After one or two feints 
with teeth and fore-paws, he took the projected leap, 
landing in the water close to the boat. 

330 




Jaguar Attacked by Peccaries 

These savage little animals seem to be absolutely fearless, and hesitate to attack 
nothing, whether human being or ferocious beast of prey. In this case a jaguar has 
killed one of their number, and the infuriated relatives rush to avenge his death, i hey 
crowd round the jaguar and bite him all over with their razor-like teeth. He can only 
save himself by bounding suddenly and repeatedly straight up in the air, only to be 
fastened upon directly he alights. At last, after several feints, he leaps over their 
backs into the river and so escapes. 



AND THE TAPIRS 

•'No, no; fair play's a jewel. Let him go, poor 
ild beggar," said the explorer, with a shake of the 
jiead, as an Indian dropped his paddle and picked up a 

bow. 

! The herd of peccaries instinctively jumped into the 
f\rater in pursuit, but soon abandoned it, aware, when they 
same to reflect, that in the water they would be powerless 
j&gainst the jaguar. 

il No very distant relative of the pig tribe is the tapir, 

Ifche nearest approach to the elephant that the West can 

Iboast. Strong family resemblance can also be seen in him 

to the horse— in the shape of the ears, neck, and saddle, 

as well as in the stiff, short mane that looks as if it had 

been chpped. Special interest attaches to this beast on 

i account of his having a brother in the other hemisphere, 

)a rare thing among the American fauna. 

' Mr. George Mathison tried on many occasions to hunt 

the tapir in South America, and with varying success. 

Having learned among the Gauchos the art of lassoing 

wild horses and cattle, he saw no reason why he should 

not put his newly acquired knowledge into practice on 

the scarcer beast ; and when, travelhng northwards, he 

heard that lassoing was the mode of tapir-catching in 

j vogue among the Indians, he decided to seize the first 

j opportunity of indulging in the sport. 

Riding alone through the BraziUan selvas one evening, 
near the bank of the Amazon, he started the first tapir 
he had ever seen, a long-snouted and not particularly 
pretty animal, no bigger than a donkey, though of 
sturdier build. Mr. Mathison soon chased him on to 
more open ground, and, as they neared the river, threw 

331 



ADVENTURES WITH PECCARIES 

his lasso, the other end of which was fastened to his 
saddle in the orthodox Gaucho fashion. It was with no 
little pride that he saw his first attempt a complete 
success ; the loop dropped as accurately as if it had been 
thrown by the most experienced cow-catcher ; the thong 
ran taut, and he took a long breath to prepare him for 
the struggle which always came where a horse or bull 
was concerned, and might be looked for even in the smaller 
animal. The tapir turned his head, summed up his captor 
in a quick, supercilious glance, then looked ahead to where 
the river lay gleaming through the creepers and trees 
and shrubs. 

The next thing Mathison knew was that he and his 
horse were being dragged along, willy-nilly, at express 
speed towards the water. Already his face was streaming 
with blood from its sudden contact with the lianas, and 
his frightened beast, powerless to resist, threatened at 
every moment to fall with his rider under him. 

Letting go his bridle, and trusting to his being able to 
manage the horse with his feet and knees, Mathison 
attempted to haul on the lasso with both hands. He 
might as well have tried to haul up a sperm-whale in 
mid-career ; the tapir seemed to have the strength of an 
elephant, and Mathison's efforts at pulling the lasso only 
ended in adding to the likelihood of the horse's being 
dragged off his feet. 

On they sped, and at last got clear of trees and bushes, 
and on to the grassy space that, just there, overhung the 
water. The Englishman had heard it said that, when 
he finds himself ridden by a jaguar, the tapir invariably 
makes for the nearest water, in the hope of being able to 
dive, and so get rid of his incubus ; and now it looked very 

332 



AND THE TAPIRS 

iuoh as if this particular beast were going to treat his 
kptor or captive in that very way. 

jMathison determined that, come what might, he would 
jUng on, although the sight of the river, with its caimans 
^^nd other abominations, reminded him that this neigh- 
)ourhood was not inviting at evening. There came a 
^udden splash and jerk : the tapir had plunged in. ^ The 
pulUng was now even stronger than before, and, resistmg 
pnth. all his might at sight of the threatening water, the 
terrified horse stumbled and fell sideways ; happily the 
aider's horsemanship was equal to the occasion, and he 
Nras on his feet by the time the animal's flank touched 
the ground. 

There was only one thing to be done now ; he could not 
see the poor beast dragged in torture over the ground 
to the river, there to make a meal for aUigators or jaguars. 
He hastily cut the lasso, and the victorious tapir got 

away. 

That night Mathison reached an Indian village close 
at hand, where he was hospitably received. One of the 
natives surveyed his tired horse, examined the cut end 
of the lasso, and remarked in Spanish : " The seiior has 
been tapir-hunting ?" 

Mathison nodded ruefully. 

" Not by yourself ?" 

" Yes." 

The Indian was much too polite to laugh in his face, 
but, after a lengthy pause, he said, with twinkUng eye : 
" You must be a good horseman, seiior. It usually re- 
quires four Indians to catch a tapir ; even then they dare 
not make the lasso fast to the girth, for fear of an acci- 
dent." 

333 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS OF THE WEST 

True and spurious wild dogs. — Newfoundland and Eskimo dogs. — The 
Indian dog. — Killing a coyote. — A pack of Indian dogs on the 
scent. — As bad as a pack of wolves. — Surrounded. — Putting them 
to the right-about. — Flight. — An unpleasant awakening. — More 
dogs. — Between dogs and Indians. — Advantage of knowing Indian 
dialects. — A wonderful sheep-dog. — Wolf-dogs and fox-dogs. — A 
scientific fox. — How Darwin dealt with him. — The American wild 
cat. — The yagouarondi. — Mr. Young's adventure. — The wild cat's 
mysterious behaviour. — Convulsions. — And their cause. — An ex- 
traordinary escape. — The ocelot. — Chased by an ocelot while bath- 
ing. — A gloomy prospect. — Saved by a half-wild dog. — A plucky 
beast. 

Both of these families may be subdivided into two groups 
— aborigines, and the descendants of tame importations. 
Among the Western Canidce, the Eskimo dog, the New- 
foundland, the coyote or prairie wolf, together with 
various f ox-Uke and wolf -like creatures of extreme South 
America, are indigenous ; while the Cuban mastiff, Indian 
wild dog, etc., have sprung from animals that, having 
escaped from the collar, have refused to return to it. That 
interesting Kttle beast, the " prairie dog," is not a dog at 
all, but one of the rodents. 

The Newfoundlands and Eskimos might be further sub- 
divided into those which have never known servitude, 

334 



WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS 

Ld those which are only wild while they are not wanted 
by their owners, and are turned loose for part of the year 
ike so many ponies. Lieutenant Hardy, R.A., says of 
the Newfoundland pretty much what Captain Parry has 
^aid of the Eskimo dog : that in a purely wild state he is 
inoffensive, and makes a scanty but honest livmg on fish, 
or on small animals that no one but the trapper feels the 
aoss of But the half-wild dogs of both species are 
dangerous ahke to man and cattle, for domestication 
'{alias ill-usage, in this case) has spoiled their tempers, and 
the semi-starvation which they undergo while " on duty 
I makes savage thieves of them the moment they are 

The Eskimo is a brute to his dog, and brings him into 
subjection by means of tortures that ought to get the 
little man penal servitude ; the result is that, when the 
; poor dog is turned loose, he will kill and eat his own 
' brethren, and will sometimes attack the traveller with 
even more pertinacity than the wolf. The domesticated 
Newfoundland, Mr. Hardy tells us, is forced all the winter 
' long to draw sledges of timber, and is half-starved by 
his master ; in summer, therefore, he avenges himself by 
devouring sheep whenever they come his way. 

But the prairies and backwoods produce even fiercer 
and (in that they combine in packs) more dangerous 
creatures in the white " Indian " dog, and sometimes m 
the coyote, which is a smaU wolf. Of both of these 
Mr. Lord made a careful study, though, if some of the 
Indian dogs had had their way, he would never have 
Uved to write his experiences of them. He shows that 
these Indian dogs are not American at all, but 
Chinese, or possibly even Thibetan, though one can only 

335 



WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS 

conjecture as to the circumstances under which thej 
settled down in their present home. 

Riding alone through the Oregon forest on his waj 
south, Lord had just shot a young doe to supply food fc 
the evening and next day, and was dismounting t< 
examine and skin the game, when a coyote sprang from J 
the bushes and pounced upon the little carcass. Lord 
slipped his arm through his bridle, and, standmg by the 
horse's head, gave the coyote the benefit of his second 
barrel, and laid him dead by the side of the doe. Then, 
having secured his venison, he tied up the horse and 
began to gather wood for his fire. 

He had not been occupied thus many minutes before j 
an angry baying sound, much louder and fuller than 
that of coyotes, fell on his ear ; and as he paused in his 
task, the noise swelled to well nigh twice its volume, and 
seemed almost as if it came from behind the next bush. 
There was no mistaking it : it was the barking of a large 
number of wild dogs, running at a tremendous speed on 
a hot scent, not half a mile away. As the beasts must 
be coming at the rate of nearly twenty miles an hour, two 
unpleasant facts were palpable : they were very hungry, 
and in less than a minute they would be up with him. 

The direction from which they were coming was that 
in which lay the morrow's journey, and Lord was not [ 
the man to stir an inch out of his way even for a grisly 
or a batch of hostile Indians, and he had fought with 
both in his time. Indeed, at that moment the question 
of his personal safety did not occur to him, for his mind 
was occupied with the problem of protecting his horse 
from the savage hunters, and of taking care that his own 
supper was not stolen from him meanwhile. 

336 



OF THE WEST 

!: Hastily he cut off a sufficiency of the raw meat, and 
bound it in front of his saddle with his other stores, in case 
^ flight should after all be necessary ; then, standing with 
'I his back to a tree at the horse's head, though not un- 
' tethering the animal, he awaited, gun in hand, the coming 
- of the noisy pack. They came quite soon enough, running 
' so closely together that, in the half-light, they looked hke 
|i a great white sheet. Lord sent a couple of bullets into the 
' midst of them, and two of their number dropped. In- 
stead of sweeping on over the bodies of the dead beasts, 
\ or just pausing to devour them, as wolves would have 
I done, the dogs stopped, widened out to avoid their fallen 
brethren, sniffed at them a moment, then moved on 
slowly to where the doe and coyote had fallen. Here 
two of them proceeded to lap up the still moist blood, 
while three or four more engaged themselves with the 
flesh of the coyote and what remained of the doe ; the 
rest lurched towards the traveller with that pecuHar 
sneaking, curved gait that one associates with the most 
worthless type of mongrel. 

Lord had no leisure to study their manners and habits 
just then, but at once expended two shot-cartridges on 
them, hoping by such a distribution to frighten them 
into retreat. At the first shot they set up a doleful 
howl, though no animal dropped ; at the second, one of 
them got more than his share of the shots in his chest, 
and fell dead, while two others limped a little farther off. 
The EngHshman could see that, by a rapid manoeuvre, 
he might put their present disordered condition to ad- 
vantage. He reloaded, slipped the gun-sling over his 
shoulder, cut the thong that bound his horse, and, vault, 
ing into the saddle, touched the animal with the spur- 

337 y 



WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS 

Instantly the dogs set up a dismayed howl, and as the 
powerful horse bounded through them, toppling two or 
three of them over, they scattered like frightened sheep — 
all except one. He, bolder, bigger, or hungrier than the 
rest, made a tremendous spring, not so much at the 
rider as at the meat at his saddle-bow ; but a blow of 
Lord's fist knocked him stunned to the ground ; then, as 
a parting gift, the rider again emptied his barrels among 
the dogs, and disappeared at a rate at which even they 
could scarcely overtake him. 

To a man whose adventurous spirit had led him into 
a thousand escapades by land and sea, and who had 
become inured to hunger and cold, thirst and heat, in 
the Crimean trenches and the Nubian desert, an extra 
ten-mile ride before supper was nothing ; and Lord 
galloped cheerily on, determined to put a reasonable 
distance between himself and the dogs, and then to camp 
for the night. But after a quarter of an hour's ride he 
called to mind that his horse had borne him many miles 
that day, and that the beet animal in the world cannot 
carry a sixteen-stone man very far at the gallop at the 
end of a hard day's work. Reducing his speed to a walk, 
he listened carefully ; but he was to windward of the dogs, 
and could not hear a sound of them. The forest was 
now becoming a thicket in which no path was visible ; 
it was growing very dark, and horse and man were 
desperately hungry. The sight of a Uttle stream, which 
ran across his route, decided him to go no further, lest he 
fared worse ; and he pulled up at the edge of it for his 
night's rest. 

After a hearty meal he lay back against his saddle, 
and contemplating the fire, fell asleep. When he awoke, 

338 




Attacked by Wild Dogs 

Lord sent a couple of charges of shot into the pack, then vaulted into the saddle and 
dashed through their midst. They all scattered except one huge Lrute, who made a 
leap at him ; but Lord, with a vigorous blow of his fist, sent him stunned to the ground. 



OF THE WEST 

it was to find a splashing and a barking ringing In his 
ears, accompanied by the shrill neighing of his horse, 
which had been lying a few feet behind him, but was now 
standing, and kicking in a manner that threatened his 
master with injury if he did not soon move. The fire 
had become reduced to a few embers, and the pale light 
that endeavoured to filter through the trees announced 
that sunrise was not far ofi. Lord sprang to his feet, rub- 
bing his eyes ; then snatched up his gun, which, of course, 
lay ready loaded, this time with ball. Baying and yelping 
and leaping, a couple of dozen of the large white dogs 
were scrambhng in or out of the water, and making open- 
mouthed for him and his horse. He looked bewilderedly 
towards the Httle pack ; if these were his friends of the 
previous night, why had they come from the other side 
of the stream ? But there was no time to think about 
proving their identity; the nearest dog was only three 
feet away, and several more were hard on his heels. A 
sudden kick sent his nearest persecutor backwards, and 
a bullet killed the next one. 

But the moment the gun-report sounded, a peculiar 
whistle came from a hundred yards the other side of the 
stream ; and, as though in obedience to it, every dog 
stood still, looked questionably over his shoulder, and, 
at a repetition of it, leapt back into the water, and, on 
reaching the other bank, soon disappeared among the 
thick bushes. Nevertheless, if Lord was disposed to 
congratulate himseK on escaping from annoyance or 
danger, he was somewhat premature ; for, as the last 
dog vanished, a dozen Indians stole into view, and stood, 
bow in hand, watching him across the stream. In the 
still faint light he could not see whether their demeanour 

339 Y 2 



WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS 

was peaceable or the reverse ; but as soon as they began 
to mutter among themselves, his intimate knowledge of 
their dialect told him that the Indians were very much 
disposed to be uncivil. 

A few brief explanations shouted by him across the 
stream soon put an end to that unpleasant possibility ; 
and the simple Indians, astonished that a stranger should 
speak their language, and apparently know all about them 
and their tribe, were very ready to fraternize. The dogs 
which had awakened Lord had, of course, nothing to do 
with the entirely wild creatures that had attacked him 
on the previous evening, but were a haK-wild pack which 
the natives occasionally used in their hunts, for one of 
which they had been bound when they encountered the 
Enghshman. 

In South America, packs of wild dogs, very much like 
collies, were at one time common — again the descendants 
of immigrant beasts. These the Gauchos would lasso 
and tame, and the pups that were born in captivity were 
trained into being far better sheep-dogs than our own 
country has ever produced. Darwin many times saw a 
large flock of sheep miles away from any human habita- 
tion, guarded by no other shepherd than one of these 
trained dogs. Contrary to custom, domestication seemed 
to inculcate courage rather than stamp it out of them ; 
for though they would generally flee from the ordinary 
tame dog, one of them would put to flight a whole pack 
of wild ones that generally hung about the fold seeking 
whom they might devour. Unbidden, the shepherd-dog 
would collect his flock at the same time every night, and, 
keeping them all together, would march them back to the 
estancia or farm. When he had delivered up his charge, 

340 



OF THE WEST 

he would present himself at the house to receive his 
rations ; then his wild instinct generally came out, for, 
the moment the meat was given to him, he fled at top 
speed to the woods or the pampas with it, fearful of 
attack from other dogs that came of a more civiHzed 
strain. 

In Darwin's time, wolves or wolf-dogs were common 
enough in the Falkland Islands ; and in the island of San 
Pedro, off Chile, the great scientist also saw a kind of 
fox wliich he called Canis fulvipes. Even at that date 
(1834) the animal was very rare, and has probably become 
extinct long ago ; but there is a stuffed specimen at 
Kensington which Darwin killed in a manner that would 
have astonished British sportsmen, and, still more, British 
foxes. The ship had cast anchor, and two officers went 
ashore to make mathematical observations ; and Darwin, 
accompanjring them, soon set to work to look for zoo- 
logical or other specimens. On turning towards where 
his two friends had stationed themselves, he was amazed 
to see a strange-looking, bushy-tailed dog standing behind 
the two officers, evidently engrossed in watching their 
operations. 

There is no encouragement, unless you are an absolutely 
infalhble shot, to fire at an animal when a friend's body 
is acting as background for it ; yet here was one of the 
rarest animals in the world within a few paces of the 
enthusiastic young naturaHst — a chance, in fact, of a 
lifetime. Suddenly forming a desperate resolution, 
Darwin snatched his geological hammer out of his pocket, 
and stole Hke a shadow across the few yards of rock that 
separated them. The animal, " more curious, or more 
scientific, but less wise, than the generality of his 

341 



WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS 

brethren," still remained absorbed in contemplating the 
unconscious men and their theodolite ; and, feehng rather 
like a footpad or a garrotter, the scientist dealt the poor 
fox a blow on the head with his hammer which extin- 
guished his mathematical aspirations for ever. 

The American wild cat is for the most part genuinely 
wild, though there are famihes of " escaped " cats still 
common on the pampas. In the Far North we have the 
lynx ; a httle lower, the prairie cat ; and then, from 
Mexico to Cape Horn, a score of similar creatures, all more 
or less beautifully marked, all more, rather than less, 
savage, all closely related to the jaguar or the puma, and 
varying in size from that of the household cat to that of 
a small leopard. Of the Central American cats, the most 
interesting is the yagouarondi, a beast nearly as large as 
the puma, and one that, even if it do not covet human food, 
is a savage and objectionable neighbour. It should be 
borne in mind that animals like this carry as much 
danger in their claws as in their teeth ; and if one had to 
choose, the quick death from the teeth of Hon or tiger 
would be preferable to the horrors of lock-jaw, or a Hn- 
gering death from blood-poisoning, which so often follows 
laceration by the claws of any of the large Felidce. The 
yagouarondi is subject to fits of irritation, during which he 
will "fly " at the first comer and claw him unmercifully. 

Mr. Thomas Young had some experience of hunting 
these fierce cats, and witnessed the death of one of them 
under peculiar circumstances. Very soon after his arrival 
in Honduras, he was out by himseK hoping to shoot a 
dinner for his company, and found, to his gratification, that 
a large number of rather fine rabbits were in the neigh- 

342 



OF THE WEST 

bourhood, so that he would not need to penetrate to the 
deeper and less inviting shades of the forest. 

He had bagged half a dozen of these, when, tired and 
heated, he sat down for a while. Presently another 
rabbit scuttled past him, and, as Young had not yet re- 
loaded, got away from one cruel fate only to run into 
another. Determined not to court disaster, Young had 
sat down in the open as far from the trees as possible, 
and he now began to congratulate himself on his fore- 
sight, for suddenly a creature, which he at first took for 
a small black puma, sprang from a low bough of the tree 
nearest to him, and in three bounds had seized and killed 
the rabbit, and, growling savagely, began to demolish 
the Uttle carcass. 

Young was so interested in watching his new acquaint- 
ance that he quite forgot to put a fresh cartridge in his 
gun, till the yagouarondi — for such the stranger was — 
gave a yawn of satisfaction and turned to move in his 
direction. Till now he had never shot anything more 
savage than an English hare, and the sight of this ferocious- 
looking object put him on his mettle ; he hastily loaded, 
and waited for the beast to come a little nearer. But as 
the yagouarondi approached, he liked the look of him 
less and less. Suppose he should miss his aim, or only 
sHghtly wound him ! 

With his heart beating with excitement, the young fellow 
covered the animal's throat ; but just then there arose a 
most appalling yell from the wild cat, which would have 
terrorized a man of weaker nerve ; then he made a bound 
in the air, but, instead of falling forward, dropped in his 
tracks again, then rolled over, spitting and spluttering 
and writhing. Young advanced slowly and cautiously, 

343 



WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS 

his finger still on the trigger, and had come within four 
yards of the yagouarondi when the latter gave a howl 
like that of a tame cat multiplied by forty, then was 
completely convulsed, and in another minute lay 
dead. 

Young picked up the stiff, heavy body, and, slinging it 
over his shoulder, tramped back to his camp. At sight 
of the rabbits, his English friends gave a cheer ; but as 
soon as one of the Indian servants appeared on the scene 
he crossed himself and shrieked out in horror. The 
rabbits were poisonous, and the Englishmen would in- 
evitably have shared the fate of the yagouarondi if they 
had tasted them. The Indian explained that, for three 
months of the year, the rabbits fed on berries, harmless 
to themselves, but deadly to most other animals. Often, 
he said, a dog was killed through touching one of them, 
and occasionally even a yagouarondi or a puma. 

The most ornamental and, next to the yagouarondi, the 
largest and fiercest, of the Western cats is the ocelot. 
This magnificent creature swims like a jaguar, catches 
fish most dexterously, and, out of curiosity or malice, has 
no objection to digging his huge claws into a man upon 
occasion. While Lieutenant Herndon was exploring one 
of the tributaries of the Amazon, he once came closer to 
an ocelot than most people would desire. For some days 
he had noticed the entire absence of alligators along this 
tributary, and being, like most Anglo-Saxons, a water- 
loving animal himself, he eagerly seized the opportunity 
for a bathe. 

After he had swum to the far bank, he was returning in 
a leisurely fashion to where his clothes lay, when he was 
unpleasantly aware that he was not alone in the water : a 

344 



OF THEIWEST 

ifuU-grown ocelot, more than three feet long, was swimming 
fidown the stream as though with the intention of cutting 
'him off from return to the bank. Visions of the remorse- 
less claws rending his naked flesh rose before him, and he 
struck out for land with all his strength, shouting lustily 
at the same time to awaken his Indians, who were asleep 
either in the boat or on the grass. But he soon found that 
I he had no breath to spare for shouting if he was to race 
or dodge this terrible enemy. His state of utter helpless- 
: ness can well be appreciated by any swimmer who has tried 
'to throw a stick or hit a ball any distance while in the 
water. He might possibly get in on© or two fairly heavy 
blows with his fist, but half their ordinary impetus would 
be wanting ; and if the beast mounted on his back, which 
was more than likely, he must choose between drowning 
and carrying ashore about fifty-six pounds' weight that 
maintained its equilibrium by the ingenious method of 
hanging on to the bearer's flesh. 

Herndon gave another desperate shout, but it neither 
frightened the ocelot nor awakened the slumbering 
Indians. But an unlooked-for ally was at hand. Sud- 
denly there was a splash near the bank for which he was 
making, and a huge, yellow, haK-wild dog, which was a 
great pet among the Indians, dived into the stream and 
swam in a straight fine for the interloper. 

The Lieutenant paused for breath, having still some 
little doubt as to how a combat between these two might 
go ; clearly the ocelot did not shirk it, for, scenting the 
dog, he turned and waited for him with a succession of 
savage snarls. But if the man lost half his force in the 
water, so did he ; the terrible power of springing, on which 
all the Felidce natitrally rely, was gone from him now, and 

345 



WILD DOGS AND WILD CATS 

he could only await the coming attack with teeth and 
claws ready for action at close quarters. 

But the dog was unceremonious to the last degree, and 
evidently had no time to spare for fighting. Within 
twelve inches of the ocelot's head he opened his great 
jaws, took a sudden sideward stroke that left him clear 
of his opponent's fore-paws, and the next moment his 
teeth had closed on the neck of the savage cat, which he 
seemed to kill as easily as a terrier does a rat. It should 
be added that the same dog subsequently killed, in a similar 
manner, a jaguar that had taken to water. 



THE END 



BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD 



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